Out of the Shadows
by Wyrdfayth
Summary: Levy, Jet, and Droy have been best friends since childhood. For years everyone has known there is scarcely a more reliable (non-destructive) team, but Shadow Gear has long had a secret. Later, Levy's emerging feelings for Gajeel further complicate matters. But could Gajeel have a secret of his own.. perhaps even from himself? Meanwhile, will Juvia ever win Gray's affection?
1. Let's Start a Team

"Hey Droy! Wanna make a team together!?" a red-headed boy propositioned, so excited he couldn't stand still.

The twelve-year-old Droy was less enthused. Sarusuke was his best friend, but he often had such bold ideas when he got into his jittery moods like this, and Droy had seen more than a few such plans fail spectacularly just this month. Still, he humored him, as he always did.

"I don't wanna be on a team that's just two boys," he objected. "Let's have a girl join."

He thought for a moment that may deter him, but as fate would have it, a certain meek bluenette happened by at that moment. Sarusuke wasted no time in suggesting her. "Then how about Levy!"

Levy McGarden.. She was a friend of both boys, though Droy wouldn't exactly say they hung out all that often. "Levy? She's so weak.." Granted, that wasn't his only problem.

The girl in question sighed, a bit annoyed that they were discussing this without actually asking for _her_ opinion on the matter. "Sarusuke, it's fine. I'm not really looking for a team, and Droy's right.."

To her surprise, a laugh came as response. The boy's smile never faded, nor did he ever stop bouncing- running in place? Whatever he was doing.

"That's ridiculous!" he exclaimed. "You're smarter than a lot o' the grown-ups! Me an' Droy can protect ya! You just gotta be our brains!"

_And estrogen, according to Droy_, Levy thought dryly. Still, she couldn't deny she was a little flattered. All that energy got on quite a few nerves, and Levy had to admit hers been among them at least a few times. But at the moment, it was a little bit.. infectious, and she found herself starting to smile at the idea. "...I guess it could be fun," she murmured. Her gaze turned to Droy.

He was getting outvoted here, wasn't he.. With an annoyed sigh, he groaned, "Fiiiiine... But she better not slow us down. She's just a kid, ya know."

"You're only a year older than me!" the eleven-year-old protested.

"Yeah, a whole year! That's like.. foreeeever." A year and a few months in his case, in fact, and just shy of a year in Sarusuke's! Of course, there was absolutely no reason he knew her birthday off the top of her head, and he certainly wasn't becoming at all flustered from having this conversation.

"Well, I won't get in your way," Levy assured him firmly.

Meanwhile, Sarusuke looked ready to burst. "AHAHA!" he exclaimed, giving a few impressively high jumps amidst all his jittering. "So we're really doing this? We're really gonna start a team!?"

Still unsure just how serious he was, Levy gave a sheepish, uncertain grin. "I guess so..?" What was she getting herself into?

Droy, on the other hand, suspected the whole thing would probably fall apart in a week or two tops. Still, Sarusuke did seem really excited, even for him. He supposed he may as well try to have some fun with it while it lasted. Sighing in equal parts defeat and amusement, he finally smiled slightly himself. "Yeah, sure.. Okay."

"Aaaaaaaa_aaaaahhhhhh__**hhhhhh**_-"

"Watch out-" Droy warned Levy, knowing that build up all too well.

"YAAAAHOOOOOO!" The boy sprung so high he nearly hit his head on the ceiling, then literally hit the ground running, taking off for a victory lap or seventeen around the guild hall. At least he remembered to head outside this time, though he still nearly bowled over an older guildmate on his way out.

Barely stepping out of the way in time, the middle-aged man watched after the cloud of dust kicked up in the child's wake. "Damn, that kid moves like a jet." Shaking his head and chuckling to himself, he headed inside.

Meanwhile, Levy looked a little concerned. "Is ah.. is he always like that?"

Droy shrugged. "Most days. You'll get used to it."

Levy laughed softly. "I suppose I'd better." Another thought occurred to her, then. "You really think they'll let a couple of kids our age go out on any jobs alone?"

"Probably not. Maybe the little errand type stuff around town."

"Nuh-uh!" It seemed Sarusuke was back from his run. "We'll do way better than that! We're gonna be the best team in all of Fairy Tail! I can feel it!" No one could say he wasn't ambitious, at least.

What had Levy gotten herself into, indeed. 

* * *

A/N: :'D I've been wanting to write this for a while; here's hoping I can see it through to the end. Please review! Critique welcome~


	2. Confessions

It took a little longer than Sarusuke would have liked; though Master Makarov was always supportive, it was anywhere from months to over a year before their older guildmates started taking the children seriously as a true guild team versus a cute little 'club' or the like. It was indeed rare they get anything they'd consider a "real" job for quite a while.

But now four years had passed, and while the teens were still a long way from being Fairy Tail's best, they had at least begun making a real name for themselves. No longer did any among the guild doubt the merit of Shadow Gear, as they'd started calling themselves.

Moreover, a lot of teams- even some not much older than them- were still a lot stronger, but Sarusuke- or "Jet", rather, as most people now called him- was certain that none could match them in terms of sheer team chemistry.

Laxus, for instance, could probably take on at least two other teams by himself. And then there were the nerdy kids he used to play roleplaying games with. (Laxus would always deny this, of course, but Levy swore there had been at least one or two occasions when he'd come to check her library for a spare rulebook, and Fried occasionally slipped and dropped his name when he and Levy would study together). But surprisingly enough, they were actually becoming very impressive wizards. Evergreen had gone from "that girl who insisted she was a real life fairy and only joined the guild for the name" a few years back to "that girl who can turn you to stone with a glance". Fried and Bixlow's magics were even scarier. Put together, they were already one of the strongest teams in the guild ranging a mere 18 to 21 years of age, and they'd probably only continue to grow stronger. But as close as they were, they were always getting on each other's nerves.

Shadow Gear, though? Each of their powers alone could be pretty limited, and one may not think they necessarily complimented each other all that well, either. But through sheer determination and their level of mental synchronization, they pulled through jobs that should have been way out of their league. To everyone's surprise- including that of Levy and Droy- the team who had formed based on a "sure I guess" had perservered through all doubts and become incredibly close in the process.

Perhaps a little too close for Levy McGarden.

Today was the day before the annual Cherry Blossom Festival of X782, and Levy and Droy sat in a corner table in the guild hall as most of their guildmates were making preparations, drinking, or brawling. Meanwhile, Levy was reading, and Droy seemed lost in thought.

Eventually, Jet joined them with a bowl of noodles in hand. Had to keep up his carb intake, after all! To everyone's relief, he'd calmed down a lot in recent years, channeling all his energy into his magic, though he still had little moments here and there, and he was no less optimistic. "Hey guys~" he chimed, sliding into the rounded booth next to Levy. "You excited for tomorrow?"

Levy set her book down to acknowledge him, but shrugged. "I guess so." It was always a fun event, but it wasn't as though she hadn't been every year. Of course, this year in particular, there was...

"You think anyone'll invite us to the dance?" Droy asked, a hint of sulk in his voice. If Jet had to guess, he'd say his friend was a little disappointed that no one had done so already.

Jet shrugged as he ate. "I kun reh-" Right. Food. He swallowed and corrected, "I can't really think of anyone who might, but you never know." With that in mind, though, his eyes moved to the cutest girl in the guild, who happened to be sitting between himself and Droy. Seeing as they said nothing through his next few mouthfuls, he finally took a deep breath for courage and tried to sound casual as he asked, "..What about you, Levy?"

Droy suddenly became more attentive as a subtle sense of dread began building in him. He'd always suspected it would come to this, but...

Meanwhile, Levy seemed to be snapping out of some trance. "Hm, what?"

"Has anyone asked you yet?" Jet asked.

Levy's cheeks colored a bit, but she replied, "Ah, no, they haven't. B-but you know. I'm pretty quiet, I doubt many people notice me." The words were almost chimed, and certainly in good humor, but the laugh that followed was just a little nervous. In truth, someone had approached Levy that morning with what she suspected may have been that intent, but she'd run away before they could ask, so technically she wasn't lying.

Neither Jet nor Droy were quite sure what to make of that laugh, but the prior laughed along anyway. "I doubt that." Breathe. Keep breathing. He'd been looking for this opportunity for almost four years; he couldn't back out now. ...Though it still didn't hurt to be safe. "Do ah... do you have anyone in mind?"

Levy's own breathing paused for just a moment before she forced it to continue, actively holding it back from speeding up. As a matter of fact... But no. No, she couldn't. It was far too difficult to explain. "Not really.." she white-lied with a smile.

A sound like a particularly incessant woodpecker kicked up as Jet fought his nerves, tapping his foot under the table. "R-really?" _Keep going, man. You can do this._

A certain fear flared up in Levy.

"B-because." _C'mon.._

_Please, no._

Deep breath. "Y'know, I've always thought you were amazing."

_Here it comes, _Droy thought in defeat.

_No, no.._ Levy bit her lip.

"Ever since we were kids. You're brilliant-" taptaptap, _no.. _"-and beautiful..." Taptaptap, _no... _"That's uh.. actually why I asked you to join the team. I know it must've seemed random, but.. it wasn't, and.." His tapping picked up pace as he convinced himself he was imagining the uncomfortable looks on his teammates faces. It was just paranoia. He had to get through it. "What I'm trying to say is-" taptaptaptaptaptap!? _No, no, no! _"I really like you, Levy, and I was wondering if-"

"NO!" Levy shrieked before he could even finish, hands immediately flying to her mouth in horror.

Jet went cold, and for a moment he honestly had to check to make sure he hadn't been hit by some errant Ice Make Arrows. No. No that really was just the sting of rejection.

"I- I have to go," Levy blurted, looking to her left and right in frustration before giving up and ducking under the table, then making a beeline for the door.

"She..." Jet sat still stunned.

"She..." Droy watched after her with very mixed feelings. Sarusuke was always the 'leader' in the two's friendship, at least from where he stood. He was the positive one, the outgoing one, the one whose talent people actually took an interest in if only when it was useful. Everyone loved a good race, but no one came running to see a gardening competition. ...Ha. Running. Even there.

So of course he'd always sort of assumed that Jet would be the one to win Levy's heart. But if she just rejected him...

"...H-.. Hey."

Jet looked up, seeming almost confused.

"I uh.. I know this probably isn't the best time, but... You do know I always...?" Words died, but it seemed they weren't needed.

With a self-pitying laugh and a forced half-smile, his best friend nodded. "Yeah... I kinda wanted to pretend you didn't but.. I know. Serves me right I guess."

Droy grimaced; he hadn't quite meant it like that, but..

"Go get her, man. If I have to lose her to _anyone_..." Well, he could hardly think of anyone he'd mind less.

With a smile mixing hope and sympathy, the green mage nodded. "Thanks, Sarusuke." With that, he ran to try to catch the girl of their dreams.

"Good luck, bro..." Jet rasped as he watched him leave, eyes a bit moist. Moving his unfinished meal aside, he let his face meet the table and just sort of stayed like that for the next few hours. ...Heh. Levy forgot her book. ...Sigh.

-

Outside, Droy tried to figure out which direction the little bluenette had gone. Dammit all, yet another time Jet's magic would be more useful than his. But that was fine. She rejected him. Droy had a chance, and he had to take it.

Now where- He suddenly stopped as he thought he heard a whimper. Was- it was! Just ahead, he could barely make out the edge of a familiar shape behind a tree. "Levy!" he called.

A gasp escaped the girl. _Oh no._

Finally catching up to her, Droy wasn't even sure himself if he was being cautious or reckless; he just knew he needed to act. "Hey, are you okay?" She did look like she'd just escaped something horrific.

The question seemed to calm her to an extent though. "Oh. Uh.. Yeah. I'm fine." It wasn't her most convincing voice, but she was getting there.. Sort of.. "Sorry about that, I.. don't know what came over me."

Huh? ..No, he shouldn't worry about it, he just had to... "L-Levy, listen."

That air of panic came flodding back.

"Since you turned down Jet, I was wondering if maybe-"

A distressed sound escaped the girl. "No, no, _no, NO!_" she cried in frustration before bolting once again.

Droy watched after her, feeling crushed but not especially surprised. He supposed it had been foolish to get his hopes up. Damn, he really hoped this didn't hurt their team.. For all that he never thought it would last, it had become the most important thing in his life. He was an idiot to have ever threatened that, and he was certain Jet was feeling the same.

Ugh.. He'd need to let Jet know how this went, too. ...Later, though. For now... just... He let out a long sigh, and sat under the tree Levy had stopped under. He just... needed a bit. He wasn't thinking of anything in particular. Thinking was for a later time. Right now, just... rest...

-

As Levy finally made it home, pushing her way past several of the other girls in Fairy Hills without acknowledgement, her head was swimming with similar concerns. _What have I done, what have I done_... They were both going to be heartbroken. This was the opposite of what she wanted. _What if they don't want me on the team anymore?_ She loved Shadow Gear. She wasn't sure what she'd do without it.

As she shut her bedroom door behind her, her thoughts started turning to anger. _...They wouldn't dare._ If either of them had the sheer _audacity_ to even _suggest-!_ Even if Sarusuke did say he'd invited her to the team due to his feelings, _surely_ they were mature enough that their friendship and team chemistry was built on something more substantial than the hope of dating her! If either of them _dared_ to think for a moment that they could kick her out just because-

Levy pushed several recent books aside to make enough room to throw herself onto her bed, screaming into a pillow.

And with that release, she felt her anger fading again as well. She wanted to stay mad at them; that would make it a lot easier. But to do that would be to pretend that any of this was anyone's fault but her own. Certainly, she didn't ask for either of them to like her in that way, but...

With a heavy sigh, the girl made up her mind. She had to tell them, even if it cost her her spot on the team. It would be hard to cope, but giving them the wrong idea was worse.

...Tomorrow, though. Right now, she just felt drained. Sleep... Sleep sounded wonderful.

-

The day of the festival was upon them, and the guild was feeling as festive as always. Cana was preparing to dominate a drinking contest, which she may or may not have instigated herself. Natsu and Gray set aside a current fight as they arrived, though they'd find reasons to pick it up several times throughout the night. Erza and Mirajane, meanwhile, had agreed today's competition would be carried out in the form of carnival games, while Elfman was determined to win as many prizes as he could for Mira and Lisanna, who in turn spent much of the evening trying to get Natsu to dance with her. Had he known what would transpire in just a few weeks, he may have paid those efforts more attention, but no one could have known. No, today was a day for fun, whatever form it may have come in for a given person.

Shadow Gear, however, was not having fun. Jet and Droy were certainly trying, but it was a pitiful effort. Still, misery loved company, so keep each other company they did.

"This game is rigged.." Jet muttered, turning away from a booth.

"Wha'd'you expect?" asked Droy. Sighing, he asked, "You wanna get a drink?"

"It's kind of early..." That wasn't a no, per se, but... Eh, he didn't know.

As they considered where to go next, a small unexpected voice came from behind them. "Hhhhey guys.."

"Levy?" they asked in unison, spinning around with the same synchronization.

The little bookworm behind them didn't make eye contact, blushing as she stared at their feet instead. "Can uh... Can we talk?"

A silence fell between them, though all around them carnival sounds enthused right on, creating some dissonance in the mood.

Just as Levy was about to give up, Droy broke the silence. "L-look. I'm sorry about-"

"Me too," Jet interrupted without really meaning to.

"D-don't be-" she tried to say.

"No, really. It was totally-"

"We should have-"

With a more determined voice, Levy looked up to them through tears and repeated firmly, "Can we talk?"

"Uhh..." started Jet.

"Sure..." finished Droy.

"Somewhere private.." she added meekly.

They nodded in unison, then headed out to the edge of the fairgrounds. Stopping behind the farthest building, neither boy was sure what to expect. Each still worried she wanted nothing to do with them now, but why go so out of her way just to say that?

"So... What's up..?" Jet forced out. Though he tried to remain calm, his fingers tapping at light speed at his side betrayed his nerves. That was one thing Droy never envied about his bro.

Levy's heart was beating a million miles an hour, and she was relatively certain that if she tried she could just melt into the ground and hide there forever. But the time for hiding was over. She needed to get this out in the open.

"I'm sorry..." she whimpered.

"For what?" Jet countered immediately.

Droy was equally flustered. "You didn't do anything wrong." Levy didn't feel any better; in fact, she ached more.

"He's right! Like hey, it sucks but it's not your fault-" No, no.

"Yeah, if you don't like us you just do-"

"_I DO_," she blurted desperately, the tears she'd held at the corners of her eyes for so long finally escaping.

Again a silence fell, more confused than the last. "...What?" "Huh?"

"I like you," Levy sobbed, eyes moving from one to the other, to the ground and back. "I like-" Words died in the wake of several sharp inhales before she forced herself to continue. "I like _both of you_. I'm so.. _so sorry._." She turned her back to them, barely resisting the urge to lean on the wall. "I can't- I can't help it. And I don't- I would never be able to choose between you, and I didn't want to hurt you, but then I went and-" She broke, crying harder. A few more words may have followed, but they were incoherent gibberish at this point.

The boys were both stunned by the revelation, such that even Jet had gone still. It was a lot to process, and neither was entirely sure what to think, but one thought persisted above all others for the both of them. ._..__**She likes me**__._

The girl's crying continued, with an off sob occasionally sounding like 'sorry'.

"You really..." Droy started hesitantly, "...do like me? ...In _that way_?"

A pained Levy half-turned back around, looking over her shoulder as though she were afraid to actually face either. A small sound escaped her, but she couldn't seem to make a real word out of it, so she instead nodded. Then, after a moment, she managed a "But..." Her eyes trailed to Jet for a moment, then to the ground once more.

"You also like me..." Jet stated for her. "In... the same way.. Is.. that right?"

Levy's eyes moved up to both again, this time pleading for forgiveness. She must seem so selfish, and she wouldn't blame them if they both hated her for it.

She was not at all prepared, then, to find herself suddenly sandwiched between two wizards who both wore a combination of grins and tears. It seemed that once again their mental synchronization was unnaturally powerful.

"We love you, Levy," Jet spewed, scarcely able to contain his relief and joy. The girl's face flushed deeper.

"No matter what," Droy added with a nod, his own voice shaking.

A little muffled from the group hug, Levy managed to ask, "You're... not upset...?" Both boys shook their heads. "But I..." She breathed deeply, finally beginning to calm at least her body, though her thoughts were still quite scattered. "I still can't... choose..." Surely they wouldn't.. do something stupid like compete or leave things to chance...

Jet sighed, still grinning. "Well... that's not ideal," he admitted. "Never what I imagined growing up, anyway. You, Droy?"

The other man shook his head. "No..." But he was smiling gently all the same.

"I'd love to have you all to myself," the runner went on, though his tone said that wasn't all there was to it. "But.. That would hurt you, wouldn't it..." It wasn't so much a question.

Levy looked up to him, acknowledging, but questioning more than answering.

"I wouldn't be a very good lover if I could ever ask you to do something so painful in good conscience. And.." A half a chuckle escaped him. "I guess if I had to share with anyone..."

Droy let out a small laugh of his own as he recognized the sentiment as similar to the previous day's. Really, though, he supposed he had to agree. "Aye..." ... That definitely hadn't been influenced by Happy. "I could share.. so long as it means I can have you."

Levy's tears were flowing in full force once more, but this time from joy. "Guys... I... I..."

"Wha'd'you say, Levy?" asked Jet. "Would you go out with us?"

"Hey," Droy protested slightly- but to Jet stealing the ask, not the sentiment behind it.

The girl broke into a laugh of self-pity, wondering for a moment why she had been so afraid to have this conversation, and wondering for much longer how she had gotten so incredibly lucky to have two such wonderful, devoted young men.

"I didn't think it was that funny..." Jet mock-pouted, causing her to laugh harder.

Finding words again escaped her- ironic, considering her magic- Levy opted for action, standing up on her toes to plant a quick kiss on Jet's cheek, then another on Droy's. She reached out then to put an arm around each and return the group hug.

Droy was just a little irked to have been 'beaten' by Jet _yet again_, but realistically he realized kissing them at the same time would have been... awkward, if even possible. And that she even _had_ kissed him was something he'd not at all been expecting when he woke up this morning; he certainly wasn't going to get bent out of shape over a matter of seconds. On the contrary, even with that minor annoyance in the back of his mind, he found he couldn't stop smiling. "Is that a yes?"

Levy laughed again and hugged them tighter. At last, she breathed out a small, "Yeah..." Their hearts both soared. This was unexpected. It would take some getting used to. But... _Levy. _It was more than worth it.

A thought occurred to her then, causing her smile to fade in favor of an ever-deeper blush. "...Ah. Y-y'know guys... Romantic relationships with teammates are frowned upon _as it is..._" Heaven knew what anyone would think of _this_ little arrangement.

Jet gave a hearty laugh as both of them finally broke away. "You say that like Shadow Gear's ever cared what anyone else thought!"

Levy found herself sweating a bit. "Uh..." She.. kind of cared. In general, but especially about this. She was surprised enough that _they'd_ accepted her feelings, and she just... really didn't want anyone else's judgement getting in the way. Worse, there was the risk the Master might want them to work on separate teams if anyone started to suspect their feelings might compromise a mission. Makarov had never been the strictest Master a guild could have, but if their guildmates started talking and called enough attention to it...

"He's right, you know," Droy agreed.

Levy sighed. "Look, guys.. That's really sweet, but.. promise you'll help me keep it a secret, okay? I don't want to risk the team..."

"Hm?" Jet thought on that, then sighed. "Ehhh.. All right."

Droy nodded, but then grinned. "Honestly, I doubt anyone would believe a girl like Levy would go for losers like us anyway."

Levy gave a laugh that was as amused as confused. "I wouldn't say it like _that..._"

Eyes turning back toward the festivities, Jet broke in, "Soooooo. There's still a dance tonight, right?"

"Hey, he's right." Droy reached out to take one of her hands, and Jet quickly followed suit with the other. "So Levy? Should Shadow Gear go together, 'as a team'?" He didn't quite motion the air quotes, but they were audible enough.

Levy gave her biggest smile, squeezing both their hands as she nodded. "That sounds fantastic~" she chimed. As they turned to head back, Levy called out, "Hey guys?"

"Sup?" came the unison reply.

"I love you~!" she all but sang, thrilled to say the words she never thought she could. And all of them knew, that 'you' was plural.

-

A/N: Yaaaaay~! ...Yes, I realize this chapter is over four times longer than the first. Sssh. Next chapter, we'll see a character shift- and a guild shift, for that matter. So we'll see how that goes~

As always, please review! :'D


	3. The Element Four

Juvia is a rain woman. Drip, drip, drop.

The rain was soft and gentle today- a rather bright day for Juvia Loxar. The year was X783, and in all the girl's nearly 16 years she'd scarcely seen weather so clear. Of course, it was only fitting that the weather was so pleasant on such a pleasant day~

Juvia had a date this afternoon, and she really felt this one had potential. She'd always romanticized, well, romance- as evidenced by her signature heart-covered parasol, among other things. With a body of water, the rain certainly never bothered her if she was being honest, but she loved the little parasol; it was both adorable and an expression of her desire to find real, true love. And while this was far from the storybook love at first sight that often fluttered through her fantasies, she really felt things were going well up to this point. There was certainly potential for it to grow into something wonderful, at any rate~ The mere thought made her heart soar.

Up ahead, she saw the object of her affection. "Bora, my darling!" She picked up her pace to meet him, but stopped cold when he turned around. In his eyes was That Look- the Look they always gave her. As Juvia's heart sank, the rain fell harder. She should have known It was coming; It always did.

A week after the break-up, the Rain Woman was still a mess. Though she was always acutely aware of the complaints surrounding her showers, it always seemed like they grew twice as prevalent after such a heartbreaking event. Perhaps she was just listening harder, or perhaps the rain was simply that much worse. But whatever the case, Juvia wasn't sure how much more she could take.

"Well, well, well," came a voice from behind her. It was somewhat old, and a little unnerving, but not unfriendly. Snapped from her dwelling trance for the moment, Juvia gave a sound of acknowledgement, but did not turn to face him. "Might you be the one they call the Rain Woman, my dear?"

Cringing, Juvia droned in response, "Juvia's been called that. Why do you ask?"

"Splendid~" sang the man. "You see, I come representing a wizard's guild."

Blue eyes lit with a sudden hope as her heart quickened. "Wizards-" She did turn now, and saw a middle-aged man with long red hair and sly eyes, though he wore a gentle expression. "Please, sir.." she began hesitantly. "Do you.. Might you know a way to remove Juvia's curse?"

She wasn't prepared for the laugh to follow. "My dear, why ever would you call it such a thing? I would more say you have a wonderful gift!"

...Gift? "But Juvia is..." The word resounded in her head over and over in a thousand voices, causing her to flinch and turn away again to hide her tears. "Gloomy," she squeaked out. "Juvia's rain.. ruins everything..." She wasn't even sure what the appeal was to fishing, or camping, or going to the beach, or having a picnic without the rain. All she knew is that apparently all those things were more important to others than she was.

"Dear Juvia," he comforted. "I can tell you have an abundance of magic power. What you need is to be somewhere that can appreciate your talent." Appreciate..? "Come with me, and put your skills to good use. We can help you hone your abilities. Perhaps in time you could even gain enough control to stop the rain of your own will."

Of her own... Juvia liked that. She didn't hate the rain. It was her only constant companion. The only reason she would want to stop it would be for others. Being able to turn it on and off whenever she wanted.. that sounded much better than banishing it forever. And even if she never could... Even if she lived in the rain forever... If this wizard spoke the truth, perhaps.. this guild would prove to be the one place where it didn't matter. Where no one minded her rain.

As she looked back over her shoulder, she saw his hand was outstretched toward her. "What do you say, my dear? How would you like to be a Phantom Lord wizard?"

Guild life was absolutely splendid. It wasn't perfect by any means, of course. Every now and then Juvia still felt others were giving her that Look, or that she was being a burden to them, but rarely if ever did she hear those awful words, and never once was it directly. She quickly began to wonder if Master Jose had perhaps ordered others not to say anything, or if whatever annoyances she perceived were just her own ingrained paranoia. (In actuality, it was a little of both.)

No matter the case, though, it still felt wonderful to go more than a day without hearing it. She was rather shy at first toward her guildmates, but quickly warmed up, and having so many people with whom she could talk about something other than the weather was fantastic.

Moreover, completing jobs was a thrill like she'd never known. Generally when she arrived, people were too concerned with their problems to care about the rain, and when she left they were far too grateful. Though gloom still followed her, Juvia was also bringing joy. She was doing something positive with her life, and it was all thanks to Phantom Lord. For that gift- for showing her the true beauty of her own gift- she would gladly do anything Master Jose asked of her. Between her devotion and raw power, she quickly rose through the ranks, until one day Jose approached her.

There was in Phantom Lord an elite rank of wizards. Juvia had only really seen them in passing, or stared in awe among the crowd the rare times one would really get involved with the rest of the guild. So she could not have been more surprised when just two months after coming to Phantom, Jose invited _her_ to join them!

"Everyone," Jose called their attention, having led her to a large room where the four men were gathered. "This is Juvia Loxar, an impressive water wizard. She'll be joining you from here on."

She could feel all eyes on her- even Aria's behind his blindfold. Hell, especially Aria's, in fact. "H-hello," she stammered. "Juvia promises to do her best to be useful."

"But of course, _mademoiselle_!" exclaimed a slender green-haired man; Juvia knew him to be the earth wizard Sol. "I, Monsieur Sol, am quite certain you shall be a most excellent addition," he chimed, taking her hand to plant a kiss lightly upon it. Juvia wasn't entirely sure she was comfortable with that, but let it slide for now.

Seeing a lack of reaction from the others, Jose implored in his sly-sweet tone, "Now don't be rude, introduce yourselves to the lady."

This elicited a chuckle from the group's fire wizard. "Ah, c'mon. We're Phantom Lord's elite- the greatest wizards in the greatest guild. Everyone knows our names." The author absolutely did not have to look up their names.

"_Non, non, non_!" Sol replied to his comrade. "We mustn't neglect formalities!"

This was answered first by an eye-roll and a sigh, but then by, "Whatever. It's Totomaru. And don't think for a minute that water will give you the upper hand over me- Juvia, was it?" Although his words were defensive, there was a jesting nature to them, and Juvia smiled as she nodded.

"Aria.." The blindfolded air mage sighed simply.

Crunch, crunch, cruch. The final member sat in the far corner of the room, seemingly intentionally in shadows. He had watched the whole exchange, but had said nothing. Now, as all eyes turned to him, he made a point of gnawing on an iron ingot and very specifically refusing to respond.

Totomaru at last spoke for him. "As I'm sure you guessed-" you know, 'guessed' because she clearly needed to be told- "Mr. Grumpypants over there is our own Black Steel Gajeel."

"Wha'd you say, twerp?" the rough voice growled back. For a moment, Juvia couldn't help but wonder if eating metal contributed at all to such a gravelly voice.

"Nothin'," mused Totomaru, clearly unintimidated. That he could get by with such remarks, even in passing, spoke volumes about this group. The Dragon Slayer's temper was legendary.

"Well, I suppose that's about as good as you're going to get," Jose commented, equal parts chagrin and amusement. "I'm sure they'll warm up in time. Now... I was thinking."

A unison of whining sounds rang through the room, though Juvia was not at all sure which or how many of the men they came from. Apparently, they'd heard that tone more than once or twice before.

"If we want to keep Phantom's reputation as the most powerful guild in Fiore, we need to stay in the public eye. Strength alone will mean far less if no one notices, after all," the Master explained.

"To be forgotten..." Aria began, but he was quickly cut off by Gajeel.

"Oh can it, will ya?"

Jose didn't appear to notice them. "So then, from here on, I want you all to start working as a team." A chorus of various manners of 'what' rang through the group. "You're all remarkable wizards alone, but the image surrounding a real 'team' of wizards of such caliber is certain to keep all eyes on Phantom Lord. And given all your forms of magic, I'd like to propose a name. The Element Five."

"That's kind of lame.." Totomaru muttered under his breath, but that was all the protest he offered. "I guess it's not the worst name."

"But of course!" exclaimed Sol. "We are happy to honor the master's _désir_!"

"Juvia.. is honored."

"Sorry old man," said Gajeel, standing. "I ain't got no interest in bein' a part o' no team." Heading toward the door, he went on, "Nothin' personal, but I work alone." And then he was gone.

"So sorrowful..." Aria sighed.

Jose shook his head. In all the guild, only Gajeel could get by with such a stunt. Still, he needed the Dragon Slayer, so he would allow it for now. "Very well. It seems you're now the Element Four, then." They couldn't have realized that Gajeel would end up essentially part of the team anyway, or that this would from a certain outside perspective appear to begin a chain of number-based teams with one too many members for their names. The Element Four plus Gajeel, the Oracion Seis plus Klodoa, the Seven Kin plus Bluenote...

To Juvia specifically, Jose said, "Take this time to get to know your teammates, my dear. I'm sure you'll all bring much glory to the name Phantom Lord~" This would show all would-be usurpers. Jose's guild was still the greatest in all Fiore, and his newest team would prove it.

A/N: Worth noting, I watch both subs and dubs interchangeably. What this means is: I use official dub translations for spelling, so Loxar rather than Lockser, Fried rather than Freed, etc; and although I don't like to drop random Japanese in an English fic (ex: "Name-chan", etc) unless it's a specific character quirk, I do like retaining speech patterns and such, so I will write Juvia speaking in third person and Gajeel's "gi hi", etc, from the sub, as well as Juvia's more affectionate bits in place of -sama from the dub where appropriate, etc.

Also. The four-character limit is killing me, so I'll be alternating which four out of the main five are tagged at any given time.

But yeah~ 8D As always, please review~ Next chapter should hopefully be within a day or two, as I initially planned to do it as one thing. This just seemed like a good breaking point.


	4. Heart of Rust

"Get the lead outta your ass," Gajeel harped at the so-called Element Four. Master Jose had insisted he tag along 'just this once' to see how the team did working together and report back to him. Why people seemed to think reconnaissance was his thing, the Dragon Slayer would never know.

At any rate, the others were all pathetic. One little wyvern invasion and suddenly it was so hard to do something as simple as keep the townspeople from being eaten. Totomaru blamed the cold of the mountains, and Sol that whatever-many feet of snow had separated him from the earth. Gajeel really wasn't paying much attention to the specifics.

Needless to say, he'd needed to step in. Fucking pathetic. Aria and the new girl had been a bit less terrible, but still got overpowered in the end. None of them would've lasted five minutes against Metallicana.

And now they had the nerve to keep him waiting on the trip home. Something about 'injuries' and 'dislocated' and 'my wound re-opened I need to stop the bleeding'. _Pathetic._ Admittedly, the rain did nothing to help his mood.

As they trudged onward, eventually the new girl approached him. "Juvia wanted to thank you..." she offered.

"Tch," Gajeel scoffed. "Couple little dragon wannabes like that ain't got a chance against a Dragon Slayer, girlie."

"..It's Juvia."

"Don't care."

The rain woman leered a bit behind him and mentally sighed, but refrained from doing so aloud. It was also rather more than a 'couple' wyverns- far more than the report had indicated, in fact. Weren't they normally solitary creatures..? Or was she misremembering.. Well, at any rate, Juvia was fairly sure that he wouldn't care about that either. She'd have to remember to say something to Master Jose.

All right then.. It was clear Gajeel was not the most sociable person, but he was the only one she hadn't really had a chance to speak to since her promotion, so she figured she may as well take the opportunity to try. It seemed she'd need something more tailored to his interests, though.

"So.. Gajeel was raised by a real dragon?"

Glancing over his shoulder at her, he gave a snarky look. "Nah, I just picked up eating nails one day. You are what you eat, you know." A few seconds later, and a smirk cracked. "Gi hi hi."

Wait, that was.. a joke? Juvia wasn't certain if that laugh was meant to be at her or with her. Moving on with the only response she could think of, she countered, "But you also drink water."

The smirk faded. _The hell is she on about?_ If he wasn't so bored, Gajeel wouldn't have given this chick the time of day. As it was, she seemed like a decent fighter and was pretty easy on the eyes, but he still wasn't sure how long he'd put up with her. "What's your point?"

"Juvia doesn't," she explained. "Or.. Juvia does, but she doesn't need to." An eyebrow quirked again, and Gajeel realized she had moved up to walk more beside than behind him now. "But Juvia's body is made entirely of water."

"Huh?" Weren't.. most people made of a lot of water anyway? Gajeel was 90- well.. maybe 80.. 75% sure he'd heard something like that? Whatever. The thing he was thinking of didn't seem to be what she meant either way. "Look pretty normal to me."

Well, she _did_, anyway. Before his eyes, one of her arms stretched out before her and melted away into a stream of liquid up to her shoulder; keeping more or less the same proportions as her arm, it waved and thrashed in place before them. Then, suddenly, the water whip slashed through her own waist, causing Gajeel to jump slightly. However, her torso just floated, as though still invisibly connected to her lower half, and the would be wound clearly faded into globules of water. Within a few seconds, her body had taken a fully human appearance again, and Gajeel found himself legitimately interested for the first time since meeting the woman.

"Huh. That's pretty handy," he admitted, though it was quickly followed up by a haughty, "Not as cool as mine o' course." Punching the air in front of him, Gajeel's arm became a pillar of iron.

Juvia simply nodded, however. "Yes. I saw you use it against the wyverns."

"...Hmph." Yeah, that made sense. He supposed he probably would have noticed her thing if he hadn't been paying attention pretty much exclusively to their opponents, but whatever. ..Oh hey. "So I guess yours is why you're not as beat up as the rest o' the losers, huh?"

Ignoring the implication that she was among 'the losers', Juvia nodded again. "Juvia's body can handle almost anything."

"...Gi hi hi hi."

"...What is it?"

Gajeel almost explained, but thought better of it and shook his head. "Nothin'." ... On a totally unrelated note, of course. "How old're you anyway, Blue?"

Were the nicknames really necessary? Well, she supposed this one was a little better. "Juvia will be sixteen in... about two weeks," she answered, taking just a moment to count the days.

"Dang." He was legitimately impressed. Only a little, of course. Still, she was even younger than him or Totomaru. That was saying something.

"..What about you?" asked the water wizard.

That elicited something between a scoff and a laugh. "Hell if I know. Ain't like dragons think much o' birthdays." Who cared about one year when you lived for centuries? Not that Metallicana ever would've known his birthday, but he still could've celebrated the day he took Gajeel in or something. Selfish bastard through and through, really; he should've seen his abandoning him from miles off. Whatever. That was six years ago now, and Gajeel didn't need him anyway.

All the same, the girl grew a bit melancholy. "Juvia.. never celebrated birthdays either.." She tried, of course, but..

"Huh." It was entirely neutral.

"Not.. since she was a little girl, at least. People said Juvia's parties were... _gloomy_." She cringed at the word, averting her eyes.

"Gi hi hi!" came the hearty laugh in response. ..Wha? "Can't be gloomier than Sir Cries-a-lot," he snarked, nodding back toward Aria.

This caused Juvia to blush a bit, feeling bad that she found that at all comforting even at another's expense, but finding it reassuring all the same. "You don't.. mind the rain?" she asked hesitantly.

Gajeel shrugged. "'snot too bad every now and then." It was about this time that the young man realized just how long they'd been talking. Huh. She actually managed to rope him in, didn't she? Well, she'd better not get used to it, but he supposed she was slightly less annoying to talk to than most people. If he was bored.

For all that he tried to justify it in his mind, some part of him was aware he honestly related to this girl a bit. He was a monster, and he had few qualms with that, but other people's reactions could get tiring. Her power by comparison seemed.. tamer, but he could imagine it had similar effects. Hell, probably worse, given she clearly wasn't as tough as him. Well, if she was lucky, some combat would temper her. If not, that wasn't his problem. But... eh. He was feeling nice at the moment.

"Gi hi. Tell ya what, Blue. Just so long as I don't start rusting you an' me'll be just fine."

Was.. that a real concern? Did living iron rust? These thoughts rushed to Juvia's mind for just a moment, but upon seeing his cocky grin, she decided it must have been a joke and smiled back at him. After a few moments of comfortable silence, another thought came to mind. "It's still Juvia," she teased.

"Still don't care." But this time, at least he was smiling.

So occupied were they by conversation that neither noticed just how much the rain had let up.

In the weeks to follow, Gajeel mostly reverted to his usual standoffish self. He would acknowledge Juvia in passing every now and then, and once or twice a very brief conversation did arise, but the rain woman was becoming rather convinced that their trip back from that job had been a one-time thing. She couldn't blame him, but it was a little disappointing.

On that note, apparently she wasn't to worry about the wyverns unless they turned up on the request board again. They hadn't been hired to find out why there was a swarm, only to stop it. She supposed that made sense.

At any rate, it seemed today was going to be slow. The only downside to being one of the Element Four was that she was now expected to take only the highest calibur of jobs; 'stooping' to smaller requests was rather frowned upon. So times like this, when there were no such jobs in queue, could get a little dull. Sol and Aria had taken the last one yesterday, and were expected back this afternoon. With any luck, they'd bring more work with them.

For now, though, Juvia sat in the guild lounge, daydreaming. Her thoughts wandered from magical theory to the latest romance novel she'd been reading to whether or not she should restitch the mouth on her current teru-teru-bōzu or simply make another one. So lost had she become in her thoughts that she didn't notice right away when the seat across from her was taken.

Suddenly, though, a slice of cake was pushed in front of her. Startling slightly, she looked up to see their local Dragon Slayer with a slice of his own. "Gajeel..?"

"It's your birthday, right?" he asked through a mouthful of cake.

It... was actually tomorrow, but Juvia was too stunned to correct him. "You..."

He shrugged. "Figured since neither'f us ever really celebrate we could get together and have a pity party," he snarked.

She didn't know what to say. He was.. being flippant.. and he got it wrong... but _he remembered_, at least in spirit.

His smile faded, replaced with an irritated look. "What's the deal? Don't like cake or somethin'?"

It was only at this point that Juvia thought to check her face and realized she was crying. The rather decreased awareness in that regard was one of a number of drawbacks to having a body of water. Wiping her face and shaking her head, she answered, "Oh no, it's not that. Juvia just..."

What flavor was this, even? Some sort of chocolate with extra chocolate, drizzled in chocolate and filled with chocolate? It looked a little rich for her taste. But it was the thought that counted. "Thank you, Gajeel," she said sincerely, then dug in.

Oh goodness, wow. For just a moment she fought the urge to gag, but she got over it. That really was rich. But tastebuds be damned, she would eat it all and she would love it. She had roughly twelve years of missed birthday cakes to make up for, after all!

"Don't get all sappy over it or nothin'. It's just cake," he grumbled, finishing his own cake and then starting on the fork.

Mentally shaking her head, Juvia simply responded, "Of course not." Noticing him then, she asked, "...Are you having dessert for your dessert?"

"...Gotta prob'em wif it?" he asked, mouth full of metal.

Juvia simply chuckled. "Not at all." As much as he tried to hide it, she was now quite certain there was more to Gajeel Redfox than met the eye. He simply needed the right push to show it.

In the months after, the Dragon Slayer would grow very, very weary of the rain woman at times. She was often at his heels and being a pest. More than once, he snapped at her, and two or three times physically lashed out, though both of them knew his iron fists would do nothing to her body of water. In the same timeframe, however, the two often did talk and became closer. She learned he had a closeted passion for music and songwriting, and he was actually pretty good- even if his voice didn't quite do his work justice.

There was no one in Phantom Lord she especially disliked, but none with whom she shared nearly the connection she found with Gajeel. He didn't always like opening up, and sometimes when he realized what she was making him do he would get angry at the mere thought of seeming human. He was a dragon, a monster, and he wasn't about to have anyone forget it. Juvia didn't quite buy it. That stubbornness was frustrating, but also a little endearing, she found. Besides, there was one lesson Juvia had learned from a very young age:

Given a proper amount of force, water could break through steel.

A/N: This went rather different than I intended it to but I am pretty okay with how it turned out. :'3

Also, that last line is one that Juvia says to Gray when demonstrating her magic in their fight. If anyone ever feels the urge to write a _very different if-you-know-what-I-mean _fic working from that quote, I would read that so hard. xD

As always, please review. :'3


	5. Hardened Steel

Months flew by, and their friendship only grew; but Juvia found that the more fond she became of Gajeel, the less sure she was how she actually felt about him.

Repeatedly, she reminded herself that he wasn't 'her type'. Juvia wanted a nice guy, and though she knew there was a heart of gold buried in Black Steel, she wanted someone who was nice whether anyone was looking or not. Admittedly, she'd always thought her problem would be guys who acted nice in public but who were actually assholes rather than the inverse, and this did amuse her, but all the same.

She wanted a guy who was sensitive yet strong, a guy who was compassionate toward others, but who wouldn't stand for injustice. And... admittedly, Juvia sort of wanted someone she could protect- someone she felt really needed her. Gajeel fit neither the personality type nor the moral alignment, and she wasn't sure if she even knew anyone more capable of getting by on his own.

Then again, didn't dozens of her novels purport that love often took people by surprise? She shook her head, fighting a blush, as she denied the very idea. She was _certain_ she didn't feel that way about her comrade... but at the same time, this was easily the closest she'd ever been to anyone. ...Maybe 95% certain?

Of course, _someone_ wasn't exactly helping matters lately.

Within the team's private lounge, Totomaru rose from his seat at the table, stretching. "Eh, I guess we'd better get going. Those heirlooms aren't gonna track down themselves." With a glance toward Juvia, who was pretending to read a book on the couch, he asked, "You sure you don't want in on this one?"

"No thank you," she answered without looking away, although she had no idea where she'd last been on this page, having become lost in her thoughts instead. "Juvia doesn't need the money right now, and the last job was a little draining. Juvia will rest for now."

The fire wizard shrugged. "Whatever you say, Juv." Putting on a smirk and turning toward the perpetually-darkened corner of the room, he asked, "Gajeel?" Juvia fought a flinch at the name. "Feeling in the team spirit today?"

"Fuck off," came the short response.

Totomaru only laughed. "All right then. Catch you guys later."

The door shut behind him, and Juvia began counting. _Seven... eight... ni-_

Not ten seconds later, the dragon slayer all but materialized in the seat next to her, a dark arm stretched over the back of the couch behind her. "Hey Blue," he greeted in an oddly pleasant growl. "Whatcha readin'?"

Wait um.. what even was it? It seemed Juvia had forgotten. Then again, "Do you actually care?" she asked hesitantly.

"No." And just that fast, Juvia felt sharp teeth begin nibbling ever so lightly at her ear. It seemed he was being slightly more forward than usual today.

"Gajy..." It was a weak protest, if one could even call it that, and the affectionate nature didn't help.

He released her, then, but moved only just far enough to purr in her ear. "C'mon, doll. You can't tell me you don't wanna piece o' this.."

Oh, but she _did_... Gajeel Redfox was not her type. Juvia wanted a handsome prince, and the dragon was much more a roughhouse rogue- or, well, a literal dragon. But that toned body, those rugged scars, that wicked grin... A wave of shivers moved down her spine.

"Easy..." she murmured, scooting away just a few inches.

But Gajeel didn't want to take it easy. Quite the opposite, in fact. The man had needs, after all. Most of them involved fighting and food, but there was another that had been on his mind more and more often the past few days. A need that especially involved a certain rain woman- one with big, beautiful eyes and gorgeous blue locks. Come to think, he'd always had a bit of a thing for bluenettes... And this one also had an absolutely rocking body; it was almost a shame she kept it so covered, but at the same time it was kind of appealing when he thought of it as a private treat, just for him.

Of course, these were the only reasons for his actions. Sure, she might have also been the first person since Metallicana- the first human at all- to really take the time to get to know him, and to like him for every part of him rather than just his power or reputation. But- Gajeel mentally scoffed at himself- all that sappy stuff didn't matter much to him. That was girly, mushy stuff, and obviously he was way too tough to give a damn. Obviously.

So, fueled by what was most definitely just lust and not at all a suppressed assortment of feelings, he tarried on. "You know you can't fight it," he boasted. "I'm just that magnetic."

Juvia managed to refrain from laughing, but just barely. "Juvia..." Initially, this was going to be another protest, but as she failed to think of one, she instead finished, "..isn't sure."

At that he went deadpan. "Bout what."

"Juvia..." Uuuuugggghhhh, why did this have to be so difficult? "Juvia doesn't-..." Heaven help her he looked enticing right- "...Did you take out the lip studs today?"

"Maybe," he answered, as if there was any other reason they wouldn't be in. Shrugging, he added, "You said they got in the way, right?"

By this point, her breathing was becoming a bit difficult, and she felt so warm she was half-surprised she wasn't evaporating. _So it was... specifically for... _Oh dammit all.

In the next moment, she was in his lap, lips locked lustily with his.

It wasn't the first time. _That_ had been about a week ago...

-

It had been an awful day. They'd finished their mission, but at what cost? This village was all but decimated, and there was.. that poor, poor boy. The whole team was disheartened, but neither Aria nor Juvia could stop crying- and it had only gotten worse when the village leaders still insisted on paying them. This was too much. They'd dealt with high costs before, but it was simply too much.

Juvia needed to get as far away as she could, far enough to pretend it was all just a terrible dream. But Gajeel had disappeared now, and they really shouldn't leave without him. However, they had no idea where he'd gone or when he'd be back.

"_Mademoiselle_ Juvia..." spoke Sol softly. "We really should be returning to commit zese criminals and report to _Maître_ Jose. Perhaps.. you would go find Gajeel while the rest of us begin ze journey?"

Juvia sighed heavily. It was no secret that of the Four, she was the closest to the Dragon Slayer. But more than that, she suspected the others might appreciate getting out of the rain, which could only be further dampening their moods. Dejected, she simply nodded and headed off to search.

First she checked what was left of the village, then walked its perimeter. Just as she was finishing the round and deciding which direction to search next, a commotion began to stir nearby. At first Juvia thought nothing of it, but it quickly grew louder, and- excited?

She then heard one voice rise high above the rest: "YUKIRO?!"

The-..? Juvia rushed toward the source.

In the midst of battling the wizards who'd been terrorizing this village, a massive sinkhole had opened, swallowing several buildings. Most of the villagers had managed to evacuate, but one little boy- Yukiro- had run back in for his cat. His parents barely had time to scream.

Now, however, a crowd had gathered at the edge of the hole. Finding an opening, Juvia made her way there and felt her heart stop. With iron limbs formed into perfect climbing equipment, Gajeel was making his way up the side, with- was that the boy tucked in the front of his shirt?!

As he finally made it to the top, iron reverted to flesh and he did indeed pull a battered, beaten body from it. Disfigured, bleeding, with the worst wounds crudely wrapped in black bandages, a bulge or two beneath those possibly indicating potruding bones: the child, nonetheless, appeared to be breathing.

His parents were quick to take him, and the village healer only a step behind them. Even as they began checking him over and better dressing his injuries, they showered their praise upon the boy's savior, the knight in black steel armor. Juvia wished she could say she was surprised at how disgusted he looked, but she couldn't especially bring herself to care at just that moment. That boy was still alive, and it was all thanks to Gajeel.

It was some time before he was able to escape the crowd, during which time Juvia hadn't even tried to fight the throngs of villagers eager to thank their hero. When at last he put some distance between himself and them, however, she was quick to catch up.

"Gajeel!" she exclaimed, elated. "That was incredible!"

An exasperated growl came in response. "Fer fuck's sake, it's not that big a deal. The kid still might not make it anyway."

That-.. that was true. His injuries were certainly severe. But he did seem to be in very capable hands, and she had faith. Besides.. "You still gave him a chance," Juvia noted, struggling to speak through tears of joy.

Gajeel only grunted, not even looking at her as he picked up his pace.

Without really thinking, she closed the gap again and grabbed one of his crossed arms, holding it as they walked. He flinched once as if to tell her to let go, but when she didn't he offered no further protest. At this point she realized that his arms, which had previous been covered nearly to the elbow, were now quite bare, with what little remained at the base of each sleeve being torn and fraying. It occured to her that that had been the source of the boy's bandages, and her heart swelled all the more.

"Juvia thinks Gajeel is a hero," she offered.

With a glare, taking back his arm, he snapped, "I said it wasn't a big deal!" Juvia couldn't imagine why he was so defensive about this. "I only went down to check cuz it woulda made the guild look bad if I didn't," he grumbled. She knew he hated appearing as anything less than a hard-ass, but he was also usually pretty arrogant. To fight praise this much, even if it was for something he felt was 'too noble', seemed odd even for him.

Juvia said nothing to this, but did look to him questioningly until he could no longer ignore it. Finally, looking away, he muttered, "Anyway, you shoulda seen what was left o' the cat."

A little squeak of realization escaped the girl. _He... _She tried to fight it, but couldn't help herself. Feeling bad even as the sound left her throat, she heard herself saying, "Awwwwww."

To no surprise, Gajeel cringed. "Whatever," he spat.

She hated making him feel worse, and certainly didn't mean for it to come off as though she didn't care about the cat. But all the same, Juvia found she couldn't stop smiling at this revelation of just how kind-hearted the allegedly-heartless man could really be. "Gajeel..."

He sighed heavily, eyes barely moving toward her. "What."

"Juvia..." She wasn't really.. certain exactly what she wanted to say. She just wanted to express... how much she cared about him, and how proud she was of him, and that he should never be ashamed of showing his feelings around her, and...

At last giving up on words, Juvia instead took his arm again. She stopped in her tracks, and a tug on that arm stopped him as well.

"Huh?" he asked, turning to face her properly now.

Before he'd even finished, she was on her toes, and a kiss was placed lightly on his cheek. Gajeel's eyes widened, while Juvia returned to flat-feet and simply smiled up at him in adoration. "Gajeel is still Juvia's hero."

The dragon slayer found his heart racing. She.. kissed him. Did she... really feel that way? The idea had never even occurred to him, but now that he thought about it... Did this mean... Was he allowed to...? His brow knitted in thought.

Noting the change and growing silence, the woman's face began to color. "Ah... Juvia is sorry if that was... a bit much," she started sheepishly. "She just ah.."

Before she could work out the rest of her explanation, she found herself suddenly swept up into his strong arms, a rough kiss landing on her lips. Juvia startled and squeaked in surprise for just a moment, but then found her arms moving of their own volition to clasp behind his neck as she almost literally melted into the embrace.

Juvia had dated before, and she'd been kissed before. So of course, given her condition, every single kiss to occur outdoors was a 'kiss in the rain'. Somehow, though, that made it feel no less thrilling or special. Perhaps it was because so many stories included such kisses, and they were one of the few ways in which the rain was nearly always portrayed positively or outright romanticized. The rain alone was gloomy, but a _kiss_ in the rain was like magic. Whatever the case, Juvia loved it.

Although at this point this was becoming harder and harder to call simply 'a kiss'. When they finally broke away, both were left breathless and more than a little confused.

Gajeel stared into the eyes of his beautiful bluebird, wondering for a moment how such a small body of water could contain two separate oceans. He then realized his own thoughts were about to make him barf, and quickly pulled out of the embrace and changed the subject. "We should get going eh?"

"Hm?" Juvia blushed deeply as the situation fully dawned on her as well. "Ah. Right. Yes. We shouldn't keep the others waiting."

That did present another thought, however. Finding she couldn't quite bring herself to look at him- or perhaps just didn't want him to see just how red she was- she all the same said to him, "You know.. We do need to let Master know about the boy." The rest of the team would no doubt have reported his 'death' by the time they arrived, after all. Master Jose would be pleased to hear there weren't any (human) casualties after all. He was not especially averse to a few necessary sacrifices, but it did look much better for the guild where they could avoid them, and that their Master did always love.

Gajeel shrugged. "Guess so.."

Eyes falling to her feet as she walked, she offered, "J-... Juvia could take the credit for it, if you want...?"

That brought a slow smile to his face. "...Gi hi." To most people, such an offer would sound absurd, and that just went to show how well she really knew him. "You're too good to me, Blue."

-

So things had been about like this ever since. Every time they found themselves alone together, they fluctuated between awkward confusion and fits of passion.

Running his large hands over her petite form as they continued making out in the guild lounge, Gajeel found that as content as he was, he couldn't resist pushing her buttons a little. "What were you saying?" he rasped.

Saying...? Juvia found herself in a haze for several moments before recalling that she had, in fact, been meaning to say something. "Ju-"

She really should have expected she'd be cut off by another kiss. "Can't quite hear you," he teased. In a lower tone, he added, "You've got _something in your mouth_."

Though she knew it was only- 'only'- his tongue (his strange.. delectable.. arguably 'draconic' tongue..), that wording was still enough to cause her to go crimson. "Ga-.."

When he went for it this time, she pulled away, causing him to frown. _...Too far?_ He hoped not. "Whatsa matter, hot lips?" he asked, putting on a smirk; he couldn't have himself sounding too concerned, after all.

"Ahhh..." How did she-

The doorknob moved.

Totomaru peeked back into the room to see Juvia sitting quite engrossed in her novel and Gajeel sitting at the table idly carving the edge of it with a finger-turned-blade. "Hey guys, did Aria leave his hat in here?"

Juvia 'noticed' her teammate's presence and glanced up. "Hm? Oh, no. Juvia doesn't think so. Sorry." Gajeel simply grunted.

The fire wizard shrugged. "Aight. See ya guys later, then."

When the door closed again, both breathed a sigh of relief. Getting caught together like that would be-

... Come to think, there would probably be little to no consequence at all. Gajeel was actually pretty sure there were at least a few people who already suspected there was more going on between them than actually was, and he really doubted anyone would be particularly surprised. Phantom Lord had no rules against it, and even if it did he was hardly one to care much for rules.

Then again, there were always the _tabloids... _Gajeel could very much deal without all that bullshit. Still, he couldn't say that was his only reason, and he doubted it was Juvia's either.

After about a minute to make sure no one was coming in again, Juvia again returned to her concerns, this time free of... distractions. "Gajy..." Her voice was small, at a loss. "...What are we doing?"

"Mm?" What kind of question was that? "If ya need a reminder already I-"

She shook her head, looking almost pained. "Juvia..." How could she put it..? "Juvia doesn't want to marry Gajeel."

The Dragon Slayer went slack-jawed. "-Whh-Uhhh... I didn' know that was on the table."

"Oh- Well-" She tried to put down her book, but had become so flustered she dropped it instead. ... _Love and Lacrimae. That _was the title of this one. Right. Again putting it out of her mind, though, she left it where it lay. "What Juvia means is- Juvia. She really wants to get married. -Not right now! Not to you, just. J-Juvia wants a storybook romance, with a handsome prince and lots of kids and- She just.. doesn't.. see that with you?"

Then again, Gajeel... _did_ have a secret soft spot for kids, didn't he... Oh this just kept getting more confusing!

The man simply propped his head on one hand and twisted his mouth as he listened. It was actually pretty cute when she got all fidgety like this, but what she was saying was... Denying even to himself just how many things bothered him about it, he decided to pick out one in particular. "...You callin' me ugly?"

Juvia let out a small scream of frustration as her hands moved to cover her reddening face. "No, no, it's not that, it- you-!" A long whining noise followed. Finally, with a huff, she managed to organize her thoughts. "Juvia cares deeply for Gajeel, but she isn't sure exactly how she feels!"

The dragon sneered a moment, then stood. "Whoa, dame, look. We ain't gotta start bringin' _feelings_ into all this, okay?"

She froze at that. "...What?"

Dropping to the couch beside her once more, he shrugged and rolled his eyes. "It's pretty simple. You're hot an' I got some time ta kill. This ain't gotta be no happily ever after forever crap. I just wana have some fun, all right?"

Her initial reaction was outrage, but even as she opened her mouth to express that, she reconsidered. She.. _did_ enjoy their little fling thus far, aside from the confusion surrounding it. And if they were clearing that up... Oh dear, was she a terrible person for thinking that way!?

But what.. what was the harm in it? As long as they were clear about what it was, and agreed on everything, and... Well.. She could think of one thing. "What if... What about when Juvia does find a prince? What.. would Gajeel do?"

He shrugged again. "Why should I care? I already said I don't expect this ta be forever or nothin'." Right. Just a fling for as long as it was convenient. That was all.

"So.. Juvia could just... walk away at any time?" Could it even be that easy?

He smirked. "If you think you _can_," came the haughty response. "Told ya before, I'm pretty magnetic."

Juvia laughed lightly at that, but she did have one more serious question. "So... Gajeel wouldn't be hurt by that?"

"Tch," he scoffed. "Nah. There's plenty o' fish in the sea ya know." Though not.. many of them were so much the sea _itself_... Finding his own answer unsatisfactory, he added, "It ain't like I'm in love with ya or somethin'." Even as the dry, confident words crossed his lips, he felt his heart shrivel.

The smile that brightened her face at hearing those words was like cauterizing a wound, making it both better and worse all at once. "As long as you're sure... Juvia thinks.. she might like this~"

"Oh, I can guarantee _that_," he growled pleasantly, once again suppressing all hint of emotion to focus on enjoying the moment. "..So are we good then?"

Juvia thought on it, searching for anything she may have forgotten, but came up with nothing for now. "Juvia thinks so." She nodded.

"Good." He pulled her back onto his lap, then, and leaned in to kiss her neck, eliciting a gasp of pleasure from the rain woman. ...Unsurprisingly, she tasted like water.

Belated realization if there ever was one, Gajeel suddenly asked. "...Hey. Blue. If you're always water, how come I can't see through ya?"

That... Uh. ... Juvia didn't want to think about things like that right now. "Shut up and kiss me." She didn't wait for him to comply before kissing him instead.

Gajeel supposed he was okay with that answer.

-

Downstairs a while later, a couple of Phantom Lord wizards sat around having a drink. The front door opened and another entered the guild hall. Joining those at the table, the newcomer commented, "Hey guys. I take it Juvia's out?"

"Uh... I dunno?" shrugged one at the table. Seeing his friend was a little wet, he added, "Why do you say?"

"Sun's out," she answered casually. "Sun _shower_, but it's pretty light. I was just wondering was all."

"Huh. That is a bit odd." They all agreed it didn't much matter, though, and the topic quickly changed to something more interesting.

-

A/N: I don't know what happened, I never meant to spend _this_ much time on... GaJu? Gajuvia? Gajia, Gavia, Juveel, Jujeel? What is this ship even called? Is it even enough of A Thing to have a standardized title the way NaLu or Gruvia do? (This is an actual question, btw.)

:'3 At any rate, next chapter we'll finally get back to Shadow Gear! Huzzah!

As always, reviews are much loved3


	6. Luck

[Disclaimer: I, obviously, do not own any parts quoted from the series, just any padding/expansion centered on them. Quotes will usually be derived from the English dub, because one has to be picked, but that doesn't mean the subs will never be referenced.]

-

"Hey there~" chimed Levy. "You're the new girl- Lucy, right?"

The blonde looked up to the source of the voice, unsure whether she should be pleased or filled with dread, though with the way her day had gone so far she somewhat suspected the latter. Still, she didn't want to be rude. "Uh, that's right. We haven't met yet, have we?" She was almost certain, but there were so many new faces that Lucy was just a bit paranoid that she was going to get them mixed up or forget someone and offend them.

The bluenette just smilled, however. "Nope. But I thought I would fix that~" She extended a hand. As Lucy took it, two tall young men came to stand behind Levy, each wearing confident but friendly expressions. Levy slid into a seat at the table then, leaning toward the new girl a bit. She'd honestly been a little nervous about meeting her for the first time, but fortunately she'd found a perfect excuse just a few minutes before. "Sooo, Lucy. I heeaard that you're writing a novel~?"

_So much for privacy,_ Lucy thought with a mental sigh. She groaned. "Word's gotten around already, huh?" Happy seemed to flit by for the sole purpose of making Lucy's mood worse, and Levy found herself feeling a bit guilty for mentioning it. She would've thought that would have gotten a much more positive reaction. "I should've known I couldn't trust the cat and the pyro to keep a secret.."

The novel was a secret then? With a sudden realization, though, Levy piped, "Oh! I'm being rude, I didn't introduce myself! I'm Levy McGarden-" Was that too formal? "-but you can just call me Levy." She was pretty sure she sounded a lot more confident than she felt at just that moment, but that was something for which she would never complain. "My friend in the hat is Jet."

"_Hey_ there~" He flashed the girl a grin, oozing confidence as usual.

"And that's Droy."

Incidentally, this was the first time Droy had ever gotten a really good look at Lucy, who he.. had _not_ expected to have such a body when he'd heard how old the new girl was. "Oh.. Wow.. You are so cute." Was.. that okay for him to say?

Levy, though, actually found it super cute. She might even have to tease him a bit later! But right this moment, they still had an introduction to finish. "And together.."

Without a word between them to coordinate, as if somehow telepathically linked, the trio struck a group pose. In perfect unison, they announced, "We're the awesome Team Shadow Gear!"

A little stunned by the display, and still coming out of the slump caused by Happy's gossip, she simply squeaked, "Oh. That's cool."

Oh dear, that was no good. Back to the original strategy! "Anyway!" Levy called, all but leaping back into her seat what no she wasn't feeling at all jittery today. "I'm a horrible writer myself, but I really love to read~" She propped her chin on her hands in something of a compromise between trying to look casual and adorable, the latter being a habit she seemed to have gotten into when she wanted something from the boys. "Do you think I could read your novel some time?"

Lucy startled before blushing deeply. "Well I... I didn't really plan on anybody _reading_ it..." Although Levy did feel bad that she still seemed a bit uncomfortable, she did have to admit that Droy was right; she _was_ really cute.

"What? How come?" Jet asked. "I mean what's the point of writing a book that no one's ever gonna read?" The very end almost broke into a small laugh, but it was all meant to be encouraging, of course. Voice of optimism as always.

Droy countered, "You know, some people say that being a writer is like showing your butt to the world." With an embarrassed shriek, Lucy's hands flew to the mentioned area.. which wasn't the intention, but he couldn't say he was complaining.

Quirking an eyebrow, Jet asked quietly, "What does that even mean?"

"You know, it's-" It was a phrase. To show one's butt. Like. Showing one's ignorance or flaws. The more one tried to show what they knew the more likely they were going to prove how little they knew. And writers, especially, because the broader they tried to write about the more likely they were to get something wrong, and..? "..Nevermind." The others were trying to encourage the girl anyway, and his thing just would have been counterproductive to that, so. Yeah. He was just. Gonna be quiet.

While the guys were having that little conversation, though, Levy had jumped back in with Lucy. "You don't have to be embarrassed!" the bluenette assured her. Breaking out a full begging pose, she went on, "C'mon Lucy, please show it to me."

...Oh. Hey. Uh. With what Droy just said that kind of sounded like.. Quickly covering any chance of misunderstanding, Levy raised a hand to hide her mouth (incidentally, she may have been flustered enough that she didn't realize her hand was on the wrong side to hide her words from the guys) and clarified, "And I'm not talking about your butt, so don't get weird." Yeah. So. So weird. Recalling Droy's apparent interest, she gave something of a wicked smirk and unsuccessfully fought a blush. "The boys might wanna see it, though~" And, you know, if Levy happened to be around for that she might not mind either. ..Was she thinking about this a little too much?

Lucy was just going to ignore all of that, yeah? Fighting down a nervous laugh, she answered, "I'm not exactly finished with it yet.."

Ah, progress! "All right, so when you _are_ done, I wanna be the first to read it!" She gave the girl a wink.

"Uh.. Sure?" Lucy conceded.

Levy clapped her hands together. "Yay! I can't wait!" Again, she propped her chin on both hands. "So! How are you liking the guild so far?"

The blonde seemed to brighten at this. "It's really great!" Her eyes trailed off to a virtual flamethrower going off nearby; it was a little depressing how quickly she was learning to tune out something so dangerous. "For the most part.." Levy gave a knowing grin at this. "But I've always been a huge fan of Fairy Tail!" she said, snapping back to attention. "I've already met so many wizards I'd only ever read about before, and-"

She suddenly had a belated moment of realization. "Oh! You- you guys are _the_ Shadow Gear! I'm so sorry!"

The team collectively raised its brows. "Oh~ You _have_ heard of us, then?" Levy asked brightly.

"Of course!" answered the blonde, somewhere between excitement and reverence now, along with an appropriate amount of embarrassment for the name not clicking sooner. "I mean- Not too much of course! You guys normally turn down interviews, right? But your names have still come up several times in Sorcerer Weekly! I've been absolutely _in love_ with Fairy Tail ever since I was a little girl, so of course I've heard of one of its most prominent teams!" They weren't really the most prestigious or publicized, but they got things done, from everything Lucy had ever read. Excitement, it seemed, was winning out.

Jet gave a pleasant laugh. "You just give it another year," he asserted. "Pretty soon you won't need that 'one of' in there~"

This got a giggle from Levy and a smirk-eyeroll combo from Droy. "Jet's always insisted we'd be the guild's best one day," the latter explained.

"_Guild_'s?" asked Jet. "Last I checked Fairy Tail was vying for the top spot in all Fiore! So we're going to be the best in the whole country!"

None of them could have guessed at the time that the newcomer in their midst would be a part of the team to _actually_ rise to nearly that title over the course of that year; after all, Lucy had done only two jobs thus far, and one of those wasn't even a proper job.

"Well I wish you the best of luck!" said the celestial wizard. "It's such an honor to meet you guys."

Levy waved a hand, physically brushing the comment aside; the guys remained leaning on her. "Don't be so formal," she insisted, lightly scolding. "We're all guildmates here. You wouldn't treat Natsu like a celebrity, right?" Lucy deadpanned for a moment before leering over to the Salamander, who seemed to be betting Happy that they could- actually, Lucy just looked away at that point; she didn't want to know. "I'm sure his name pops up way more than ours," finished Levy.

"Yeah.. For all the wrong reasons," Lucy muttered to herself. She sighed and rubbed her temples a moment, but then settled back into a state of pleasant contentment. The Dragon Slayer certainly came with a lot of headaches, but he was proving to be a pretty good friend all the same, and she did have him to thank for getting her into the guild of her dreams. "But you're right, I'm sorry. I guess it's just gonna take me a while to get used to being around so many awesome wizards. Still, a _pleasure_ to meet you," she corrected, and Levy seemed to approve.

"You too~ You know, it's not every day a new wizard around our age joins. Most of the teen members have been here since we were kids." In truth, it seemed Fairy Tail had become as much an orphanage as a wizard's guild, but damn if it wasn't the world's most _badass_ orphanage! "Maybe we could hang out some time and get to know each other?"

Lucy could hardly believe it, and struggled not to overreact, a tiny squeal still peeking out. "Sure!" Thinking over her own schedule for a moment, she then asked, "Might you be free tonight?"

There was a very subtle reaction among the team, so small Lucy wondered if she imagined it.

Perfectly casually, Levy responded, "No, afraid I have plans. Maybe over the weekend?"

"Uh- Yeah, that should be fine! As long as nothing too crazy comes up." Why did she feel like 'nothing too crazy' was quickly becoming an act of wishful thinking? Eh, she was probably just letting her nerves get to her; surely things would settle down soon.

"Great! I'll look for you tomorrow to make more definite plans, okay?" Incidentally, the next day would go down in history as 'The Eisenwald Incident'.

"See you then," agreed Lucy. She wouldn't.

-

That evening, though, a hooded figure walked through a back alley with a familiar ease; although the person remained thoroughly concealed and took secluded paths with few eyes, there was not much in the way of 'sneaking', really.

The hooded figure reached a particular back door of a particular apartment building and knocked in a pattern; said pattern changed almost daily. For a moment, there was a delay, and she wondered if she had miscounted, but then the door cracked open. With a smile that nearly lit up the inside of her cloak, the figure slipped inside.

Immediately Levy was greeted with two tight hugs and a barrage of kisses, causing a slight squeal to escape her. "Heeey," she laughed, even as her cloak was stripped and tossed aside.

"We miiiiiissed you," growled Jet softly against her neck.

"I just saw you _an hour_ ago," she noted, just before being quite literally swept off her feet. Despite the argument, she wasn't exactly complaining.

"Yeah, a whole hour," groaned Droy, who supported half of her negligible weight. "That's like, _foreeeeeever._" Levy rolled her eyes affectionately.

It seemed they were headed to Droy's room today. They boys had been certain to get their shared apartment on the ground floor for both their sakes, as it meant Sarusuke could jet out the door with greater ease whenever he needed anything, and Droy could tear up the floors in some places, as had been done throughout his bedroom. Vines, some sporting a gorgeous assortment of flowers, had been grown up through holes in the floor to adorn the walls and furniture and snake around every bedpost. To anyone with allergies, said room would be a nightmare, but Levy found it all very pleasant and relaxing.

"So I heard _you_ had some plans, hm?" teased Jet. "Were you gonna tell us about them?"

Levy gave a long sigh. "You know why- oof!" she squeaked as she was tossed onto the bed, followed by a small chuckle before she began again a bit more pleasantly. "You know good and well why I say things like that."

This was answered first by a shirt to the face, then by Droy. "Y'know Jet, sometimes I think she's embarrassed of us."

_Only a little.. _"Of course, if you guys could curb your affection in the slightest I wouldn't haf-"

She barely had time to remove Droy's shirt before its owner cut her off with a kiss. Levy pretty well gave up the argument at that point; it was more a standard banter at this point than an actual issue anyway. She knew perfectly well how much it bothered them that she actively distanced herself in public, just as they knew perfectly well how much it bothered her that they left the vast majority of the secret-keeping to her, and after well over a year together both sides had just sort of accepted that the other wasn't budging. In truth, she got a lot more upset with them than they did with her, but so long as they never directly told anyone, were never too physically affectionate in public, etc, then she had decided she was all right with it.

"You don't understaaand," rasped an also-shirtless Jet as he joined them. He lifted Levy's own shirt enough to expose her midriff, burying his face against it, but her clothes stayed otherwise in place.

Droy was not being especially helpful in the communication department at the moment, but Levy managed a clear "Hm?" in spite of it.

"If you want us to stop doting, you have to stop being _so perfect_," Jet mock-scolded. Levy simply rolled her eyes even behind her lids, then went on soaking up the attention as hands began exploring.

The trio fooled around over the next few hours, but things didn't go any farther than that. They never did. They never had.

Although Jet and Droy- both collectively and on individual bases- had assured her repeatedly that they were done being competitive and that they didn't care who 'got there first', Levy couldn't help but worry about it. She knew good and well the competition part was a lie as well, or perhaps wishful thinking, or an honest intent that didn't always play out quite as they meant it to. Whatever the case, she was sure neither would _say_ anything, but whoever came in 'second place' would definitely be stung for quite some time, and Levy didn't want to do that.

That said, she was also nervous about such things, when she even thought of them, which was almost exclusively when would-be opportunities arose. Honestly, though she definitely enjoyed a certain amount of intimacy- and enjoyed it immensely- the idea of actual sex had never seemed incredibly appealing to her. Certainly it was possible that part of this was just due to the lack of experience, but Levy was rather certain that wasn't all there was to it.

But, again, even with the 'limitations' of their little excursions, Levy did adore them. As evening drifted into night time, however, she still had to gather her things and- with a passionate kiss good night to each of her lovers- take her leave. The script mage had to get back to Fairy Hills before curfew, after all.

Erza was not the strictest matron, and for that Levy was grateful. On a very rare occasion, she did return home a bit late, and once or twice had not gone home at all, on days when she had no job or other official excuse to justify her absence. But Titania, quite thankfully, was content to let her off with a warning, if a stern one, and a few times a bribe in the form of a new book. Still, if Levy started making a habit of it, Erza would surely start asking questions, and she couldn't have that.

Making it home with ten minutes to spare was a rather pleasant feeling, then, although how big and empty her bed felt was rather less so.

-

Although a bit later than expected, Lucy and Levy did manage to hang out at some point over the following week. Levy couldn't believe the newcomer had been involved- even key, pun intended- to taking down a dark guild! She insisted Lucy _had_ to stop treating guildmates like celebrities now, between hanging out with the Fairy Queen and turning into such a rising star herself; and Lucy, though embarrassed, had to admit she had a point.

Moveover, they discussed their magics in a bit more depth, and their interests and hobbies outside the guild, which naturally came to books. As it happened, Lucy was in the middle of reading one of Levy's favorites (admittedly, that was a long list), and was even able to give Levy a few promising suggestions. Of course, that turned the conversation to Lucy's own project.

"I haven't really made any progress since last time, you know.." Lucy said sheepishly.

That did make sense, given the week she'd had. "But stiiiill. ...I don't guess you could maybe give me a little plot teaser, then?" she asked hopefully.

Lucy laughed. "I _guess_ I could."

The next two hours quickly melted away discussing plot points and characters and unwritten plot bunnies that had been hopping around Lucy's head looking for a home and a few of Levy's own ideas that were individually wonderful but that she swore she'd have no idea how to implement into a story of her own.

"Oh my gosh~" Levy sang at one point. "Lulu your romance plots all sound _adorable!_"

Lucy blushed. "You think so?"

The smaller girl nodded. "Most definitely. I'd love to date a guy you wrote," she both teased and encouraged.

The blonde laughed, but then had a tangent thought. "Oh, hey. Have you ever dated anyone?"

Levy did not outwardly react, but took perhaps a second longer to answer than usual. "No, I haven't," she said, taking the wording very particularly. "Why do you ask?"

"Aww," replied Lucy. "I'm sorry. You and your teammates seem really close, so I honestly kind of wondered if you were with one of them."

Levy fought not to grit her teeth as she responded with a light, slightly uncomfortable laugh. "Ah, no. I've never had a boyfriend." Again, she wasn't lying; she'd never had _one_ boyfriend.

Lucy raised both hands to wave as if trying to clear away any offense caused. "I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to assume! Anyway, the main reason I asked was because I haven't either, and it just would have been cool to have someone with a little more experience to ask for advice," she explained.

"Oh! Eheh~ Well I'm sorry I can't be much help, but I'll do my best to pitch in anyway," she offered. Honestly, she didn't think she would be much help. She'd never had a 'normal' relationship, after all, and although it would have been really great to see more writers portray a relationship that looked even vaguely like her own, that.. wasn't really a thing she was willing to suggest to Lucy at the time, heh.

"All right then. Well thanks then!" answered the writer, happy to have a second opinion to turn to from here on.

"Happy to help~"

-

A/N: Apologies for the delay. Various busy-ness combined with a big annual week-long competition over the past month, but things should be settling down again now. Hopefully I can get back to week-or-less updates~

Worth noting, I don't condone the attitudes of any of the main chars thus far. Ironically, the healthiest is Juvia somehow, at least for the moment, but we all know where that's going. For everyone else, communication is super important, as is respecting your partner(s)'s needs! Friendly PSA~ :P


	7. Winds of Change

[Disclaimer: I, obviously, do not own what parts of the following chapter quote the series, only all the padding and follow-up. Also to note, quotes will be from the dub for this.]

-

Magnolia was just over the next hill. Sure, the train would have been faster, but Team Shadow Gear sometimes liked to travel on foot coming back from a job (though naturally they made haste _to_ each one, lest a situation grow worse); it gave them more private time together. So it was not without a tinge of disappointment that they approached the town, now, but only a tinge. Magnolia was their home; Fairy Tail was home. So Jet and Droy simply took the opportunity to shower Levy in a few more kisses- a gesture she most happily returned- and the three of them headed into town.

Everything seemed peaceful for the moment: a nice, quiet Magnolia day, though naturally they knew that would probably end the moment they stepped inside the guild hall. Especially if Erza had brought Natsu and the others back yet.

At that thought, Levy frowned. _I hope Lulu's okay.. _The others, too, of course, but she had quickly become very fond of Lucy, and while she knew Natsu and Gray were stronger than they were often given credit for, and Erza was S-class, the newcomer's true strength was still something of a mystery. She felt for a brief moment as though she were forgetting someone, but quickly counted four wizards and decided it must just be paranoia.

Suddenly, the silence was broken sooner than expected by a chorus of feminine shrieks, causing the team to immediately raise their guard as they sought the source. The sound was followed by a lower, somewhat different sort of scream. "WHATHS HAPPENIN' TA ME!?"

"...Was that Natsu?" Droy asked.

"I think you're right," answered Jet.

Some general light commotion began to stir, mixed sounds of reaction it seemed, as the familiar voice continued, growing closer. "THERIOUTHSLY THSOME'NE HELP MEH," it went on, crying out similarly in steady intervals, sprinkled with brief pauses and occasional screams.

About the time they pinpointed from which direction it was coming and started heading that way, a frantic, fire-drooling Natsu ran right past them. ...Wait. Fire-_drooling?_

"Natsu!" Levy called out after him, making haste.

The pink-haired wizard stopped, turning around with hopeful eyes. "Nat-thu?" he asked, a slight lisp caused by the fire that wouldn't stop cascading from his mouth. His expression quickly fell as he laid eyes on Shadow Gear. "Oh ith juzt you guys." A hand went to his face, careful to avoid his flames, and he touched the bridge of his nose in a rather specific manner as he thought. "Yer right, though, Nat-thu woul' know how ta fit thiz! Thanz!" With a nod, he made a beeline toward the guild.

"...So that was weird," Jet deadpanned.

"Is it just me, or did Natsu seem... not quite himself," Droy didn't quite ask.

Biting her lip, Levy got a sinking feeling. "We better hurry after him. C'mon guys!"

-

Though they did hurry, Natsu- or not-Natsu?- was moving surprisingly fast. Naturally this wouldn't have been a problem for just-Jet, but the only thing they knew at the moment was that Natsu was acting weird, so getting ahead of him would have done no good. Besides, he was a bit tired after that last job anyway, so he simply kept pace with his teammates a pretty steady distance behind the Salamander.

Shortly after Not-su rounded the last corner to enter the guild hall, they heard him cry out, "Hey guyz! Ya gotta help me!" Shadow Gear themselves turned just in time to see him wind to a stop in front of a group of guildmates, suddenly quiet. How odd.

Macao, Elfman, and Mira all commented on Not-su's fire-drool, which seemed reasonable enough, but then Happy did something odd. Floating about, he sighed, "Ah, I must admit, flying is way more fun than I thought it'd be." What? Suddenly, he did a 180: "I shouldn't be wasting my precious time like this! I need to be changed back at once!"

"Changed back?" commented all of Shadow Gear in unison. Levy couldn't help but breathe a small laugh at this; the boys were rubbing off on her, it seemed. The enjoyment was short-lived, of course; there was a serious issue at hand.

"What're we gonna do," sobbed a rather downtrodden Gray, before.. drooling ice cubes? What was with magical drool today?

Noticing this, Mira spoke up. "Hey uh.. Gray? Or uh, Lucy?" _Lucy!?_ "You're dropping ice-"

As they continued briefly, everything clicked for Levy. "That's it!" she gasped to herself. If Gray was actually Lucy... then that grumpy-looking Lucy over there must actually be Gray, right? And judging by the dramatic mood shifts and overall serious demeanor of the strange Happy, and the uncharacteristic blush and bright smile on Erza's face, Levy would be willing to bet that they had switched as well. So that left Natsu with... it was hard to say, though odds were good it was one of those he'd stopped to stare at. Since Elfman and Macao seemed normal, odds favored Wakaba or Loke.

At the same time, she remembered an odd job request she'd noticed just before they left. She considered it herself, and had thought of grabbing it next if it was still there when they returned, but evidently someone here had gotten to it first. Still, if it _was_ that translation job...

Stepping up to the doorway, Levy struck a confident pose. She didn't need to tell the boys to match her. "No need to worry, Lucy!"

With tears in his/her eyes, Gray-Lucy exclaimed, "Levy, it's you!"

"L-Levy!" exclaimed Loke. (Possibly Natsu?)

"The Shadow Gear team is here to save the day!" boasted Droy. "You guys will be back to normal in no time!" If there was anyone capable of fixing a magical blunder, it was his ingenius little Levy, after all!

"_Oh yeah,_ we _got_ this," growled Jet in a tone perhaps a little.. 'enthusiastic' for the situation at hand. Well, enthusiasm always was sort of his thing.

"Now, do your thing, Levy!" rang their ever-perfect unison. This earned a comment from Mira about how 'we' meant 'her', which bothered them just enough to earn a sheepish smile, but honestly no more than that. Levy was both their brains and their heart; why should they care if anyone thought she was more capable than them? She was more capable than much of anyone, so it was only natural they were no exceptions.

Everyone helped Levy get up to speed, including an apparent time limit in which they had to find a spell, and she continued to reassure them, including a mention of Lucy's novel she still needed to read, which for the bookworm may honestly have been a bit stronger motivation than she'd be totally willing to admit.

Happy-Erza insisted Levy needed quiet, but she didn't really. In fact, when her boys started up a cheering squad, she found it a bit relaxing, helping her settle back down even upon realizing the task before her was much more difficult than she'd thought it would be. Of course, she definitely _understood_ how a massive drum sounding in one's ears could be upsetting, and if Droy were standing a little closer- such that it was _actually_ right in her ears- it might still get to be a bit much. But as it was she found her heartbeat slowing to match the steady rhythm, and the reminder of their constant support helped her carry on.

Unfortunately, it seemed she may have gotten a little _too_ relaxed, such that her mind started to drift just a bit as she worked. At some point, she recalled this was originally a translation job as it was posted, and her brain seemed to stick to that and send her off on a tangent. It wasn't until she provided them with the finished translation- an adorable little piece of a fairy tale nature, fittingly- that she was reminded she was actually looking for a counter-spell.

Now doubly stressed, her cheer team still didn't bother her, nor did Elfman joining them (a bit odd, but kind of cute, really), but the reminder of their countdown certainly did. Yes, Macao, she knew she was running out of time, thank you.

As the seconds ticked down, Makarov offered a tiny moment of hope, but it was quickly dashed. Then he made it even worse by revealing the counterspell must be performed one pair at a time. Then, with nerves rising, on the brink of boiling over, an epiphany struck, and the desperate script mage grasped at the straws in presented.

A quick sweep through the words, a quick mental test-run before she risked putting the words on her tongue, was all the preparation she dare allot. "I've got it!" she announced. For a moment, Levy thought perhaps she should also explain the risks if she was wrong about this, or simply performed it wrong, but they all insisted there was no time for explanations, and she couldn't help but agree. If she did it wrong, there were risks, but if she didn't do it at all, it would be worse, she was sure.

So, with a deep breath, Levy began reading the text backwards, attempting to cast the spell for each pair despite the limited time.

"Inak oram ikisarm urad ogu! Inak oram ikisarm urad ogu! Inak oram ikisarm urad ogu! Inak oram ikisarm urad ogu!" As bright lights and runes filled the guild hall, Levy's hopes began to mix with a feeling of dread. There were three swapped pairs... and she'd just said the incantation four times. [Yes, she really does, in both versions.]

To her endless relief, however, as the light faded, Lucy spoke up, completely back to normal! Thank goodness she hadn't messed it up! She was able to explain her method, then, but the celebration was short-lived, as-

"I'M STILL IN THE WRONG BODY!" cried Natsu and Loke, still in each other's voices.

"WHAT?!" cried the girl, horrified. Erza and Happy, it seemed, were still stuck as well! Had.. had Levy simply run out of time? Was Macao's counting off? Had only the first incantation made it in time?

"Now, now, don't lose heart. There's gotta be another way," said Mirajane, the actual content of her words overshadowed by her sounding rather more... rugged than usual? ...Oh no. Why.. why was she sitting like that. Why did she have Makarov's staff.

"Something's not right.. Hey guys, did I get shorter!?" Oh merciful heavens, the Master's voice was high and innocent. Levy could have broken down crying right there, and it didn't even stop then.

As Mira-Makarov began admiring his/her new form, a deep voiced Cana began preaching about manliness, and a confused Elfman quickly passed out after drinking from Cana's barrel.

_This is bad..._ thought Jet. _Levy doesn't handle pressure very well as it is._ But what could they do? Should they get her away from there, or encourage her to keep trying? He wondered if his partner in crime was having similar thoughts. Wearing his ever-present smile despite, or perhaps to mask, his concern, he spoke up, "Hey uh, Droy?" That was strange, he could have sworn he was standing on the other side, but the corner of his eye definitely saw a coat nigh-matching his own to his left rather than right. With little thought he turned- and saw himself?! It was only now that he realized he was suddenly holding the drum.

"Yeah, what is it now, Jet," droned Droy, who had indeed been in a similar line of mental questions, though with a little less optimism, as his frown betrayed. Turning toward the source of the voice without much thought- _what the hell!?_ And only now did he realize he _wasn't_ holding the drum.

"HEY MAN, STOP LOOKIN' LIKE ME." At least their unison power was still in-tact.

Levy nearly shut down. _No... Not them..._

"I don't think anybody's gonna be able to tell the difference with _you_ two," deadpanned Mira-Makarov. But he was wrong. Levy.. didn't know if she could take this.

As the commotion raged on, ranging from outrage to confusion to despair to elation depending on the person and whose body they were in, Levy's brain finally just sort of gave up and shut off. "Sorry guys," she droned. "But I think I'm in way over my head." She sank into her seat, then, and lay her face against her open book. She was done, at least for the moment. She was just done existing and she was going to do her best to just fade into nothing for a little while.

Over in a corner of the room, a bit away from the rowdy wreck that was the victims of the spell, brown eyes set on Levy before their owner sighed. Another look at the body they were set in confirmed pale skin and lavender hair, before shifting over to see a more familiar sight some paces away, examining his own hands.

Approaching, Laki's voice called in a hushed tone, "Hey, Alzack." The word felt so strange to say to another. "She looks like she's in really rough shape. Can we just.. wait to tell her?"

Alzack's eyes looked to himself, who was not himself, and his voice answered, "Yeah, sure... Laki." Both prayed as much as anyone they'd fine a remedy, but there was no sense adding more pressure to the situation for now. "Why don't we.. go sit down and I'll tell you how to be me."

Laki-Alzack nodded, if a bit hesitantly. He really doubted he was going to get Laki's so-called 'poetic' style down with any amount of explanation, but he may as well try.

Back with the main group, Jet and Droy finally seemed to snap out of their stupor.

"Whoa, dude, Levy really needs us," said the Droy-bodied Jet.

"Shit, you're right," answered Jet-Droy.

Taking seats on either side of her, each lay an arm across her back comfortingly. "Hey, you got this," cooed Jet in Droy's voice. Levy didn't seem to react, though she did appreciate the thought.

"You heard Makarov, right?" assured Droy in Jet's. "There's bound to be another way."

Mira's ears seemed to catch that, and Makarov broke from his self-admiration to speak up. "Oh! I should probably mention, I was only teasing about the thirty minutes part."

**"YOU WHAT!?"**

The voices of every (conscious) member present rang out together, but Levy's was perhaps the fiercest as she found herself suddenly on her feet, her hands slammed against the table.

But the supermodel guild master only chuckled before settling into his usual demeanor. "Well not entirely of course. There really is an old legend about the Changeling spell that says as much," he explained with a nod. "Buuut it isn't the only legend, and I wouldn't really buy too much into it. We'll simply have to keep looking." So all that time she spent _worrying about_ the time- Levy just. Ugh. "Not that I'd be able to complain too much if you can't find anything!" he cackled after a moment more, and Makarov-Mira's frantic cries signaled the start-up of the others again as well.

Sighing, Levy slumped back into her seat, deciding she may as well start glancing through the pages of her book again, but seeing no reason to hurry right this moment.

"Hey, it'll be okay," Lucy's voice- and actual-Lucy- assured her as the blonde took the seat across from Levy. "You got Gray and me switched back, right? So you must have done something right~ You've just gotta figure out what that was and do it again!"

The bluenette sighed. _But what if every pair switched back makes even more switch? ...Might it be possible to set it up so that the side-effect pairs are also corrected?_ Ugh, it was too much to think about right now. Whatever the case, Lucy had a point; some success was better than none, side effects or no. "You're right, Lu. Thanks.."

Jet-Droy frowned a bit at this, while Droy-Jet carefully eyed Lucy a moment. Why did her reassurance work when theirs didn't? Whatever the case, it was brushed aside for now. At least _something_ had worked, as was further evidenced by Levy sincerely getting back to work. All right. They'd opt out of cheering this time, thin as her nerves already were. They'd simply sit here with her, ready to help if she needed anything at all.

-

Several hours passed, and the weary word mage pressed on. The others had mostly settled down, finally, and were either trying to distract themselves or the others, or discussing what it might be like to stay as they were. The main exceptions were Loke-Natsu, who kept trying to pick a fight with Gray, who in turn kept insisting he didn't want Loke to get his body back beaten to a pulp, though that didn't stop a few blows from being exchanged; and Elfman-Cana, who had finally woken up with a wicked headache and stomachache both, and now lay sprawled on a table perpetually groaning about how much she hurt and how much she wished she could have a drink. Although a few outside wizards came and went, of those present at the time of the switch only Wakaba had yet gone home for the night, begrudgingly admitting his wife had plans and would be even more angry with him than usual if he were late.

Finally, Levy sighed. "I think I need another book."

"Of course!" replied Lucy. "Is it downstairs? Would you like me to get it?"

But Levy shook her head. "I don't think so. It's one I have at home.."

Instinctively, Jet stood up. "I can run and-" He stopped cold, then slowly sat back down. "I... can't..."

"You're only realizing this now?" remarked Gray.

But his wasn't the only delayed realization, as Droy suddenly looked in awe at his new body. He had.. always been a little envious of Jet.. and now... "I uh... I could try."

"Haven't you been payin' attention!" barked Cana-Elfman. "All our powers totally stink like this! ...'course if these cards were more _manly_.." s/he muttered as an afterthought as s/he idly picked one up.

"Then again, it would be pretty hard to mess up _running_," chided Happy, whose devilish look gleamed even with Erza's face. Truth be told, he was rather looking forward to seeing Droy fail.

"You sayin' somethin' about my magic?" Jet snipped.

"She, er, he's got a point though," Droy noted. "If I can use even a little of Jet's power I'd still be the fastest one here, unless anyone's got a vehicle on hand." He was pretty sure, and correct in assuming, no one did.

Levy nodded. "All right." Had this actually been Jet, he could have carried her there with ease. In fact, for their most urgent missions, he'd even been known to carry first her in his arms and then Droy on his back, and they'd still make better time than the train, within a reasonable distance. Naturally, this was reserved for only the most dire circumstances, as it did leave him rather drained once they got there.

As Droy would likely be struggling as it was, though, Levy did not want to add to his burden. Thus, she made a point of giving him rather explicit directions to her quarters in Fairy Hills- as, _obviously_, the young man had absolutely never for any reason been there before, especially not that time everyone else had been away for the day on jobs or vacations. She also gave him some rather more necessary directions to roughly where the book was located in her room and what to look for there, as she wasn't 100% sure of its _exact_ location herself.

With all that out of the way, Droy finally stood. Heading toward the door, he looked out at the evening sky, the sun not quite setting but beginning to color the horizon slightly, and took a deep breath. Then he took off.

-

_This is amaziiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing,_ the wizard mentally exclaimed, elated. He had no delusion he was going even half as fast as his bro could, but he still felt so, _so fast. _A few times, he even took a little detour to lap a nearby building or block just because he could. As a result, by the time he reached Fairy Hills, he was a little more tired than he would have liked, but he still felt pretty all right.

Man.. Maybe instead of just envying Jet's abilities he should seriously start asking him to tutor him- assuming they got their original bodies back of course. It was difficult to learn new magical specialties after one's first, especially the later one started training, but if it was really this fantastic maybe it wouldn't hurt to try.

Upon reaching Levy's room, Droy found it... _fuller_ than he remembered. Did she still have room to walk in here? ...Well, she was pretty tiny. Uhh...

Finding the book took much longer than getting to the building, but eventually he was _pretty_ sure he had the right one. ...Another one looked kind of similar, though, so he grabbed both just in case.

He had thought he'd spent so much time searching that he'd be pretty rested by the time he set out again.

He had thought wrong.

Unlike the trip there, the trip back had no detours, but all the same, Droy basically tumbled into the guild hall when he finally made it there. Getting to his feet, he plopped both books on the table and panted, "Please tell me one of those is right."

Levy barely looked at them, but quickly confirmed, "Er, yeah. But are you okay?"

Droy moved to grab hold of the seed-carrying belts his original body wore, nearly pulling Jet into the floor when he collapsed with them. "WHOA, hey!"

"_Running is exhausting_," Droy sobbed. "I just wanna go back to growing things, I'm so sorry." It seemed he was talking to his seeds now. "I promise I'll never leave you again just please stop my legs from being on fire."

"I don't think it works like that.." Romeo commented.

"Uh-oh, he's going delusional," chided Erza-Happy.

"Why don't you man up for a change!" harped Cana-Elfman.

Meanwhile, Loke-Natsu was grinning deviously. "Did someone say fire?"

"You don't _have_ any fire right now!" Gray reminded him. ...Probably. He was closer to Loke than most of the guild was, barring all the bimbos who were a completely different kind of close, but he still only had a vague idea of what Loke's magic was like. He knew it was strong- enough so that they'd agreed to team up if one-but-not-both of them made it to S-class tryouts, but as for what _type_ it was? Something bright that didn't look like fire.

"Dude, seriously, you're makin' _both_ of us look bad," Jet complained as he first tried to pry off his bro, then opted for simply taking off the belts.

While the squabbling picked back up around her, Levy simply sighed and went back to work. Thankfully, the new book did have some of the things she hoped it might, and as it turned out the extra was on some related subjects, so while it didn't have much in the way of additional material, it was great for cross-referencing and double-checking. She'd get this yet.

-

The hours ticked further on. Macao finally needed to get Romeo home, and Gray eventually excused himself as well, wishing everyone else luck. This got others thinking of sleep as well. No one found the idea of sleeping in the guild hall particularly appealing, but it was getting late; hopefully they'd have more luck in the morning.

"So should we just... go home like this?" Natsu asked.

"I don't see why not," sang Happy, before suddenly frowning. "Though I just realized my bed's gonna be really small.. Maybe I should sleep in Erza's room and she could go with Natsu!"

"Not on your life, cat."

"Oh, Happy, I know! We can stay with Lucy!"

"Could you not-?" interjected Loke nervously.

In the end, almost everyone simply went to their usual residences, resulting in "Happy" sleeping in Erza's room in Fairy Hills; "Loke" and "Erza" shacking up at their home by the lake (earning quite a few looks and incidentally starting several rumors on their way there; who knew Loke was _that_ good with the ladies!? who knew Erza went for guys like _that!_); "Cana" and "Makarov" heading to the Strauss household, oddly drawing little notice; and "Elfman" heading to Cana's place. Loke attempted to go home, but found "Natsu" had a bit of trouble getting in, so eventually he decided to crash with actual-Natsu and Happy for the night.

Laki had quietly gone to Alzack's home, while Alzack now found himself at Laki's. As he carefully repeated the instructions to himself, afraid of opening the wrong girl's door, one near him happened to open. Standing in it was a rather scantily clad Bisca.

"Oh, hey Laki~" she greeted her neighbor. "That was some incident at the guild today, huh? Glad to see you're okay."

"I- Yeah!" Alzack was quickly realizing what a certain occurence felt like to women. Why did she even have clothes that revealing? "B-but I'd better get to bed." _Stop staring, stop staring- no looking at different parts still counts as staring, stop._

"Hm? You never go to bed this early," Bisca frowned.

"_Well, you know, busy day, bye._" S/he quickly rushed into the next room and slammed the door before realizing he really hoped this was- uh. Yyy-yeah it was Laki's all right. Wow that girl had some issues.

Back at the guild hall, it was just Levy, Jet, Droy, Lucy, and Makarov now; and Levy looked like she was beginning to nod off.

"Hey... Lev? You should probably get some sleep soon..." Lucy warned, finding she then had to stifle of yawn of her own.

"No, I..." she weakly argued. "I've got this. Gotta..." It seemed even partial yawns were contagious.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Jet, and he shot Droy a look. Even coming from the wrong face, the latter understood it immediately as their 'just go with it' look.

"Levy, you're pushing yourself way too hard. Most of the people afflicted by the spell won't be back until morning anyway."

Droy agreed, though he wasn't sure yet what the look was about. "You need a break, or you might overlook something important, and that wouldn't help anyone."

The bluenette gave a disagreeable groan, but couldn't really argue the point.

"It's true," Makarov told her. "You've given an admirable effort, child, but you need to rest now. The Thunder Legion should be home some time tomorrow, as well." Although Lucy was not sure what the significance of that was, Shadow Gear all nodded. Fried and Levy were both formidable, but working _together_ there was little they couldn't achieve; Levy simply hoped this wouldn't prove one of the exceptions.

It was then that Jet's plan became apparent. "C'mon, Levy. You should come home with us for tonight."

"What?" She fought to keep her voice close to neutral, but her gaze had snapped to him a bit quickly, and now facing away from the onlookers she gave him a _what the hell do you think you're doing_ look.

"We know you way too well," he went on, fully casual.

Now Droy caught on, and joined in. "Without someone to watch her, she's likely to get back up and keep working all night," he explained to the others. Levy fought the urge to facepalm; if the boys were half as clever about languages as they were conspiring against her, they'd be back in their own bodies by now.

Rubbing Mira's chin, Makarov nodded. "That does sound like something Levy would do." That wasn't to say he didn't have any suspicions; he simply chose not to voice them for now.

Equally concerned, Lucy pitched in, "Well hey, if you'd be more comfortable staying with another girl you could stay at my place, too."

Levy froze, not quite sure how to respond to that. Fortunately, Jet had it. "Until you fall asleep, and then guess where she'll be!"

Droy flashed Jet's infamous grin, indicating himself with a thumb. "Meanwhile, me and Jet can take shifts and make sure she stays in bed."

Lucy considered this and nodded. "Yeah, okay." Then she thought a bit more. "Should I come too and provide a third watch?"

_Dammit Lucy._ Seemed the team was even thinking in unison now.

This time Levy took the reigns, flashing her friend a look that was equal parts amused and offended. "Geez, Lucy. I'd think of all people _you_ would trust me. I don't need a babysitter, let alone three. You need sleep too, ya know!"

Lucy gave a sheepish laugh to that, sweating slightly. "S-sorry Lev. You're right. So.. I guess we'll all meet here tomorrow?"

Shadow Gear and Makarov all nodded their agreement. "I think it's time we all got some well-deserved rest. Sleep well, my dear children." Levy dearly hoped they got this figured out tomorrow, because she was never going to get used to hearing things like that in Mirajane's voice.

With that, Lucy headed home, Makarov headed upstairs to his quarters, and Levy went home with her beloved boys- for the first time with no need to hide it, and both intent and ability to stay until morning.

-

She knew she should be a little upset with them: for taking advantage of a dire situation, for risking drawing unwanted attention to the nature of their relationship, for not talking this plan over with her first.. The list went on.

But as it was, Levy knew that everyone was right about waiting until morning, just as she knew that- as much as she might like to deny it- they were absolutely right that if left to her own devices she'd end up compulsively working through the night. Certainly she'd tell herself, 'no, I'm going to bed now', but then her mind would get to working, and it would be 'well maybe I could check just this one thing' or 'oh I didn't think of that thing before, I don't want to forget it in the morning'.

Here, though... Just knowing the guys _could_ keep guard if she gave them reason to meant they wouldn't actually _need_ to. Since she didn't want to cause them that trouble, she would actually be able to control her impulses. Here, she could _relax._

With too little energy to even pick a room, she instead collapsed across the couch, covering her face with a forearm and letting out a long groan. "Just think, this morning the biggest thing I had to worry about-" ...was Lucy and possibly the rest of her team getting themselves killed on that S-class quest. "...Wow I can't believe this situation is an improvement," she deadpanned. Come to think, she'd been so busy focusing on the spell all day that she had no idea how that went. She'd have to ask about it after they got all of this fixed.

Each of the boys took a seat in the floor then at opposite ends of the couch. "Cheer up, angel," Jet cooed. It was odd hearing such an affectionate title in Droy's voice, as Droy didn't really do the whole pet names thing. Which was fine, of course, but she did enjoy them at times, so she might have extra savored the rarity of that particular sound.

"Is there anything we can do to help you unwind?" asked Droy.

Levy gave a slightly sarcastic laugh. "Go figure out a counterspell for me?"

Droy pursed Jet's lips. "... I was thinking more on the lines of dinner, or a massage. Or maybe a drink."

... Levy's arm moved up toward her forehead to peek under it at the guys. "A massage... does sound kind of nice..." Seeing a wider smile break across Droy's face than Jet's was a little uncomfortable, but she supposed at least they were both smiling. Really, they got off pretty easy, compared to some of the other swapped pairs. Levy wondered how Loke was holding up, and poor Mira.

"I do assume that was a _back_ massage," Jet teased.

"Right, sorry," she said as she snapped out of her thoughts. Rather than simply turning over, Levy first sat up and removed the blue vest she wore that day. That left just the yellow 'shirt', which was really more of an extra cute, publicly-acceptable bra. With only a few moments of consideration, she shrugged and removed it as well.

As she moved to lie down, then, she noticed the guys were staring especially intently. "So.. not fair.." mumbled Droy.

Levy just rolled her eyes, then went ahead and lay on her stomach. "Seriously, guys, it's not like you haven't seen them before." That didn't really matter much, honestly.

Any annoyance that caused quickly melted away with the massage, though, as did much of her stress from the day. Everything... would be fine...

They pampered her until she was practically melting, and on the verge of falling asleep. She didn't do so, though, instead actively fighting it to drift instead into the arms of her nearest lover, which happened to be Jet- er, uh, Droy. Maybe she _was_ a bit tired. But that was fine. "Thank you guys," she whispered before moving in.

Moving up to the now-empty couch, Jet simply grinned. Honestly, he never minded watching Levy and Droy make out. Sure, he had a little at first, but he got over it pretty quickly; anymore, he found it more arousing than anything. Today in particular, however, was especially appealing. ...You know. For some.. _mysterious_ reason. ...Reasons. Which definitely were not related to Droy's appearance or Levy's attire.

As she started waking up a bit more, Levy suddenly recalled the latter herself, blushing profusely. "Oh, uh- Sorry! This is.." She covered herself with her arms as she scanned for where either shirt had gone. "..probably giving off kind of the wrong idea."

Droy gave a bemused smirk. "Levy, I'd hope you knew us better than that." Both of them knew good and well that the only way anyone was 'asking for' anything was if they were literally, verbally asking for it. He did sincerely hope Levy didn't think either of them was that sort of guy.

"S-still," she muttered, putting on a light pout.

"It's not like we're gonna push you toward anything you don't wanna do, beautiful." In a playful faux-mutter, Jet added, "No matter how drop-dead gorgeous you might be."

She had to blush and fought a laugh at that. "Thanks guys.."

As Jet watched his own lips kiss Levy's cheek, though, another thought occurred to him. "Though... ya know..." Levy turned to him with a raised eyebrow at that tone, and Jet averted his gaze 'innocently'. "If uh... If you did _happen_ to want to... it would kind of be like..." His voice grew a bit weaker and he trailed off, unsure now if he should really finish that thought.

"Be like..?"

He cleared Droy's throat. "It would sort of... be like.. being with both of us at once.. you know?" He offered a sheepish grin, hoping that would be enough to pass it off as a joke if she found it off-putting.

Instead, though, Levy went a bit slack-jawed. It... sort of would. _Sort of_, but... _still.._

Droy seemed to be having a similar reaction as he looked over Jet and then Levy. "That uh... certainly would be... interesting."

Even as Levy considered it, though, her anxiety began to flare back up. "But-" She pursed her lips a moment to gather her thoughts before continuing, moving up to sit on the couch again now and motioning for Droy to join them. "That's... It's definitely 'interesting', but it... Even if it would be _sort of like_ that it still.. _wouldn't_ be, you know? I don't.. really..."

So it seemed she was still stuck on the 'who first' thing. Really, he couldn't speak for Droy (except, you know, when he could), but Jet literally did. not. care. Would he _like_ being Levy's first? Absolutely. But did he _mind_ being a close second? Not really. And _she_ would be _his_ first either way, so what did it really matter? (Naturally, he could think of quite a few ways to 'include' everyone, but he was pretty certain Levy would not at all go for a few of them, and others included things they'd done before, things that she felt were "less special" or "didn't count".)

But though he'd tried to explain this before- a lot, really- she was still so convinced that he was only trying to make her feel better. If he had to, he would probably guess that she never had gotten over her initial guilt of falling for more than one person and had never really totally adjusted; she was more concerned with everything being 'fair' than with what each of them individually wanted or needed, which ironically could sometimes result in her being more neglectful or overbearing toward one or the other than if she wasn't thinking in terms of 'fairness'. It was only even in the past few months that they'd reached a point where she was comfortable going out with just one of them romantically without worrying about the other feeling left out- thankfully, as this had resulted in quite a bit more quality time.

All the same... If she needed even more to set her mind at ease, then he was happy to do whatever it took. "Well hey. You know whichever of us was sitting on the sidelines would get a _hell_ of a consolation prize."

Levy was almost afraid to ask. "...How so?"

"Well, how often does a guy get to watch _himself_ making love to the girl of his dreams?"

"I-"

"...That is a _fantastic_ point," Droy noted. "...Wow. Uh." Yeah he.. was honestly probably a bit more possessive than Jet, but he.. would be pretty okay with that, really. "Yeah."

Levy felt her face heating. "Well... If I don't figure out how to reverse the spell..." she muttered.

"But you will~" they sang in unison, earning a small laugh from their beloved.

Was she really considering this? Certainly, the uniqueness of the situation did not at all remove all of her reservations surrounding the issue. She still wasn't sure if she was ready in general for this, let alone _right now_. She still didn't consider herself a very sexual person by nature. But with all that in mind, it wasn't as though she absolutely never wanted to try it ever, and... would there ever be a time that she might feel _more_ comfortable than right now?

"I..." She tried to make a list of scenarios that would feel more opportune than this one, but found she couldn't really come up with any. There was a brief thought of 'find a spell to fuse you into literally one person', but honestly that wasn't what she wanted either. She didn't love Jet and Droy because they each had things she wanted in one lover; she loved Jet for Jet, and Droy for Droy; she loved the ways they were similar, and the ways they were different.

She did love them both, so very much. And she knew how much each of them wanted her, and even if she didn't always 'want' them in quite the same way or to them same degree, she did want to fill that need for them. Besides, it... was supposed to help with stress, right? Their lighter playing usually did, at any rate. And given the day she'd- they'd all- had...

So then, Levy had decided that she definitely did want to do this, on multiple levels. Now it was just.. ... Well?

Turning to Jet- er, no wait it had been Droy- she hesitantly asked, "Did... I hear you offer a drink earlier?"

With a blink, Droy nodded. "Uh, yeah." He quickly got up to retrieve a few- thank heaven for ice lacrimae- and brought them to the living room before taking his seat again.

Quickly looking them over and choosing the strongest-looking with little regard for taste, Levy cracked open the bottle and began swiftly downing it.

"WHOA HEY," both cried.

"Slow down, what's up?" Jet pulled the bottle away from her face but did not take it away.

Flashing him an anxious, forced smile, she offered, "Trying to take care of my nerves?"

But why? Jet wondered. "...You mean to-?" She nodded.

"Are... are you serious?" Droy asked; she nodded to him as well.

"You know you don't have to-" Jet started.

"I- want to," she assured them, if with an ounce of hesitation.

"..Are you sure?" Droy asked.

"Like right now, while you're still sober, 100% sure?" Jet added.

"Guys, it's _fine._ Are you trying to talk me out of it now?" she didn't quite snark.

Quickly releasing his hold on her drink, Jet answered, "Not at all. A-as long as you're sure, babe." Though he was trying to remain calm, he couldn't fight the grin spreading across Droy's face.

"Y-yeah.." Man.. Now Droy was getting nervous, too. He eyed the drinks nearby, but Jet's tolerance was a bit lower than his own, and if Cana and Elfman had been any indication he'd need to be really careful. Of course, Cana wasn't exactly the best standard. ..He supposed one drink with her probably wouldn't hurt.

Jet rolled his eyes. Looked like he was going to have to be the responsible one for tonight.

Finishing off her first bottle, Levy found herself giggling a bit. "I love you guys~" Then she grabbed another.

"W-.." Jet rolled the letter around before deciding to discard it. Correcting, he wrapped an arm around her and replied, "I love you too, angel."

"..More than anything," Droy agreed.

-

The next morning when Levy awoke, she found she had a pretty noteable headache, but was pleasantly surprised to realize she remembered pretty much everything~ ...Except how she got to Jet's bed. Maybe they brought her here after she fell asleep..

Speaking of, it felt _absolutely fantastic_ to wake up with each of them lying next to her in a place that was actually familiar to boot. Normally the only times she got to sleep so close were somewhere in the middle of the wilderness on far-out-of-town jobs.

After a long gaze and the slumbering redhead next to her, she shifted to see Droy- which was to say, Jet- bright-eyed just watching her. "Morning, beautiful," he purred with a soft smile.

"H-hey," she rasped back, still only about half conscious herself. "When did you wake up?"

He averted his gaze. "Oh I uh... didn't, really..." Levy frowned. "I just don't.. really sleep much, heh. I always thought it might be because of my magic, but now I.. think it might actually wear me out. Also it's apparently a mental thing," he laughed softly.

Levy just sighed, then glancing at the nearest window decided it was far too early and buried her face against his chest. "Sleep."

He wasn't quite sure if that was a command or a narration, but he just pretended to go with it. "Sure.."

-

When she awoke again, it was mid-day, and she saw a figure in front of her, getting dressed. With a great yawn, the tiny mage mumbled, "Morning Jet..."

With something between a smirk and a grimace, he answered, "Still Droy."

Levy shot upright. "_SHIT._" Scrambling out of bed and looking for her clothes (how the hell were her shorts way over...?), she continued to curse under her breath as her mind raced. "_Shit shit shit shit._ Everyone's probably already there, they're all waiting for me, I- shit."

Occasionally as she hurried to get dressed, she barked at the guys to do so as well, though they didn't really need it. Once she was completely ready, she darted out the door, barely making sure they were behind her first.

Upon arriving at the guild hall, she found that the Thunder Legion had only recently arrived back in town and Fried should currently be on his way; more good news, most of the Changeling's victims had not been waiting terribly long- save for the two that arrived earliest that morning, aka the two she hadn't known about until just then. "Oh, fuck me," she muttered under her breath. ...She could practically _hear_ the thought: 'again?' Although both the guys appeared totally straight-faced, and she almost doubted anyone had even heard her vent just then, she shot them a precautionary glare just in case.

It seemed neither Lucy nor Gray were here yet this morning either; just as well, as neither needed to be, but Levy was a bit surprised. Brushing that thought aside, though, she took her place back in front of her books, which thankfully had not been touched (probably the only time the Master would ever be able to keep everyone off such things, of course, considering most of the worst offenders were in the group that needed it most) and began skimming through while waiting for Fried.

Soon enough, the Rune Mage did arrive, and quickly delved right in.

After some hour or two of collaborative searching, however, Fried finally spoke up. "Ah, Levy. What is this?" He pointed not to the tablet, but to the flowery text on either side of it.

"I looked there, but I couldn't find any hint of a hidden message," she groaned.

"What if it's not so hidden?"

"...Huh?"

Fried began explaining the correlations he was drawing between words, and it was very complex, including several simultaneous spells that must be cast at once. But the short story everyone else got was that they had to have everyone pair off and hold some wires while Laxus shocked them, as indicated by the "storm" mentioned in the text, providing a catalyst for the spells, as it were.

"Oh... I am gonna enjoy this," grinned Laxus deviously.

"Can we please..." whimpered Natsu-Loke.

"Not...?" finished Happy-Erza.

But it was too late. Laxus used perhaps a bit more force than necessary (whether intentionally or due to 'this _is _my holding back' aspects), and everyone was left pretty charred and crispy-looking, but when they got to their feet, everyone was in the correct bodies! Levy was literally in tears.

"Thank you, _thank you so much_ Fried!" called Levy.

"Think nothing of it," commented Fried.

"C'mon, let's get out of here," Laxus complained.

"As you wish," said Fried simply.

Within a few minutes, the brawlers were back to brawling, the womanizer was back to womanizing, the drinker was drinking, and all was right with the guild. One minor irk persisted, which was the two now-properly-bodied teammates sitting on either side of her showering her in rather physical, rather public affections. Still, she supposed they would be easy enough to justify, _just for today_. So Levy allowed it... and she enjoyed it while she could.

-

In another town, in another guild, rain dripped lightly on the roof, drip drop.

By now, a good number of members had begun to catch on to certain patterns in the rain. And this particular pattern meant 'if you value your life, don't interrupt Gajeel'. Naturally, the one responsible for said rain had no idea that it changed so drastically, for it matched her mood so fluidly and she was so used to the rain as a constant that she missed the trees for the forest, as it were.

One person, however, did not fear the Dragon Slayer, and happened to have business with him.

There was a small knock on the door. "Go away," the grinding voice growled.

"I have a job for the lot of you," Master Jose stated. Everything inside the room went quiet at the sound of his voice.

"...Go tell the others."

Jose tutted and shook his head. "I have, but this particular mission shall require all five of Phantom's Elite, I'm afraid." As he turned the doorknob, there was a clang of great commotion, but when the door actually opened, both the Dragon Slayer and the Rain Woman sat in entirely innocent positions across the room from one another. Jose flashed them a facetious smile.

"So what's the big deal anyway," Gajeel spat.

"Why, a simple recovery mission is all," the Master assured them.

Raising a knuckle to her chin, Juvia hesitantly asked, "Master..? If the job is simple, why does it require even Gajy..l?" She recovered, if barely.

"You see my dear," he explained. "A poor delusional noble girl has run away from home, and her father fears for her safety. Clearly we must devote our utmost care to ensuring her safe apprehension and journy home."

"So why'z at gunzern ne?" Gajeel asked, beginning to munch a handful of bolts.

"Ah, that's exactly where you come in. It seems the girl thinks she's a wizard, and the guild that is harboring her happens to be a bunch of little _upstarts_ who think they're _better_ than us." Both members's eyes flashed fiercely. "Ah, yes. And worse, some people are starting to believe them! Clearly, we cannot let such an affront to Phantom's reputation stand. So I simply thought that you might be willing to _teach a lesson_ to anyone who might prove disagreeable to your mission while you're looking for the girl, yes?"

Gajeel broke into a bit of a smirk. "I _suppose_ I could manage something like that.."

"Juvia understands." The rain woman nodded with determination. This guild took her in. They gave her a chance when no one else would. They accepted her, supported her. It was here that she met Gajeel. She was a proud Phantom Lord wizard, and she would gladly do anything Jose asked of her, especially when that something was defending the pride of the guild she so deeply loved.

A storm was coming for Fairy Tail.

-

A/N: _Yes I realize this chapter was over half as long as the whole rest of the fic. No there wasn't a good enough breaking point. Yes this was all written in 24 hours. Yes I am exhausted. _(I've edited for any spelling/grammar issues sleepiness might have caused now, though, so don't hesitate to call my attention to any that remain.)

Also changed to M to be safe because I don't know fine lines between ratings. Anyone think there's a chance it'd be passable as T or not at all?


	8. Knowledge is Power

[A/N: So in doing research for this chapter I found that I had completely forgotten that the series actually did show when Lucy and Levy first met, whoops! As such, I've rewritten a lot of chapter 6, because I don't know if you guys have realized this but I actually try super hard to never contradict canon. Alternate character interpretation, filling in blanks, or even working on the premise that something a character has said was a lie, yes, of course. But not directly changing anything. :'3 So yeah. Unsurprisingly, the canon version was more amusing than mine, and also played into stuff I wanted to do anyway, so yay. So if you've been following as opposed to reading it all through today, go give that a reread!

Disclaimer: As always, don't own any parts that are quoted. Quotes will be mostly from dubs though subs may also be referenced, and Juvia will still third-person.]

-

"Oh, it's just _such_ a _gorgeous_ evening!" Levy was elated, prancing through the streets with arms outstretched in an 'airplane' fashion as she burned off a little of this buzzing energy. The sun was sitting perfect in the sky, coloring everything vibrant vermillion. The weather was beautiful. The air smelled like food and flowers. And Levy had just had a fantastic meal with Jet, "as friends" of course.

"I'm glad you're having a good time." He felt so content with the world right now, and things only got better.

As they cut through an alleyway to get back on a main road, Levy stopped and looked back, then attempted to tackle him. Naturally, with her being so small, he easily kept his feet, but he did stumble back just a step. Breaking out a grin, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head softly. "I love you," he whispered.

"Love you too." She rose up on her toes to kiss his cheek, then they continued out of the alley.

As they walked down the street, a familiar voice called out. "Hey, Levy!"

They turned together, and Levy's face lit up. "Lulu, hey! Fancy bumping into you~"

"I was actually on my way home and thinking of getting some dinner," Lucy said. "You guys wanna join me?"

"Ah, no thanks, we just ate," answered Levy with a smile.

_Just the two of them?_ Lucy wondered. About that time, her eyes honed in on their hands, and Levy could suddenly _feel_ her looking at them. She hadn't even realized they'd been walking hand-in-hand since the alley until just now.

"So.." began the blonde, shifting into a sly grin. "This wasn't a _date_, by any chance, was it?"

Somehow, Levy managed to keep her blush minimal. "What? No!" ...She was still holding his hand.

Although inside Jet sighed heavily and dearly wished they could just tell the truth, outwardly his smile just widened. "I just worry about Levy on these big streets. She's so tiny, you know," he teased.

"Hey," pouted Levy, though she was actually smiling, as well as very grateful.

Lucy blinked, but then smiled as well. "Aww. That's actually really sweet~ It's great how you guys are all so close. It's like you've got two big brothers looking out for you~"

Wow that was a little uncomfortable to imagine. But sure, they'd go with that. "You know it~" agreed Jet.

The three enjoyed a few more minutes of pleasant conversation before parting ways, after which Levy was positively beaming. At this observation, Jet found himself equally concerned and amused.

Once they were appropriately out of anyone's earshot, he ased, "Sooo... Lucy, huh?"

"What about her?" Levy asked pleasantly.

"She's pretty cute, isn't she?"

Here Levy thought Droy was the one who'd had a bit of a thing for her! If Jet did, too, though, all the better. "Totally~" she agreed.

"You guys seem really close."

"Oh yeah, definitely~" Offering a smirk, she noted, "I could totally put in a good word for you, if you asked nicely."

To her surprise, though, Jet shook his head. "Oh, no, I'm not interested."

"Wha? ...Then why-..?" Oh no.

"Are you?" he asked with a side glance.

Levy stopped walking and averted her gaze. "Well. Ah.." Jet stopped as well and turned to her, quirking an eyebrow. "That is, um."

"Hey." Her attention snapped to the call. "You can tell me, you know."

She laughed sheepishly as her face darkened. "Well... M-maybe a little?"

"Oh?" To her relief, he just smirked as he took her hand and motioned for her to continue walking with him.

Doing so, she went on. "Like, I guess... If she came to me and asked, I could definitely see myself dating her- just! Only, if you guys were okay with it, of course." He didn't seem to have a response to that part, which she supposed was better than a bad one. "But it's not.. something I'd actively pursue or anything, you know?"

"Well why not?"

Levy's eyes widened. "Well- I uh."

"Lucy doesn't seem like the kinda girl who'd be offended by something like that," he noted. "Worst case scenario she'd probably be flattered, so you might as well get it off your chest, right?"

Her face reddened. "I... I mean I guess..." A sudden realization, and she leered at him. "Hey, I know where this is going. If this is about watching me make out with other girls-"

A hand stifled Jet's laugh. "No! It's not that." His hand slipped out of hers and moved up to rest on her shoulder. "I want you to be happy, no matter what. I want.. for you to have anything, and anyone, your heart desires." Preferably while still making time for him, of course, but in the long run even that came second to Levy's happiness.

The little wizard basked in the waves of adoration radiating from her partner. "Jet..."

He cracked a wide grin then. "But I mean, you know, the hotness factor is definitely a perk."

Levy burst into laughter at the shift. "You're such a dork." Conversation drifted to more usual topics from then on, but she remained elated throughout the evening. She'd have to mention it to Droy tonight as well, of course, but... Maybe tomorrow, if she got a chance, she'd see what Lucy thought. She wasn't really expecting anything to come out of it, of course, but it would be really nice to know~

-

Late that night, five esteemed wizards stepped off Magnolia's last train for the evening. Their leader had been just the slightest bit uneasy during the ride, but the moment he set foot on solid ground, he was ready to kick some ass.

...Find a girl. He meant he was ready to find a girl. ... Eh. He could do both.

"So we don't actually know where this chick lives?" Totomaru asked.

"_Non non_," answered Sol. "Ze request came straight from ze client to ze _Maître_ to us. So since ze client did not know? We do not know!"

"We'll simply have to ask the people in town," Juvia reasoned.

"But it's so late," groaned Totomaru.

"Sleep embraces the weary travelers," sighed Aria.

Gajeel rolled his eyes heavily. "Let's just get ta work."

They asked around for at least an hour before the Dragon Slayer's nerves began wearing thin; they had no way of knowing she'd left town not long before they arrived. "Screw this," he growled. ..Man, some screws sounded good right now. ...Both kinds, in fact. Maybe when they were done here. "I say we ditch this subtlety crap and make the flies come to us."

Totomaru resisted a comment about how ditching crap sounded like the opposite of how to attract flies.

"What did you have in mind, _Monsieur_ Redfox?"

A wicked grin spread. "We give 'em a little _calling card_. Teach the little insects not to threaten Phantom Lord's reputation if they know what's good for 'em."

The guys seemed indifferent to this idea, but Juvia was more skeptic. "Exactly what do you mean by calling card?"

"Iunno." ... Juvia should have expected as much. Glancing around, he spotted a large building not much farther off which he suspected might be their headquarters. "I guess we could always rough up the guild itself."

Juvia frowned, and the rain picked up almost imperceptively. "That sounds rather aggressive, Gajeel."

"Wha'd'ya think I'm here for, playin baby-sitter?" he snarked back. "I'm s'posed ta teach 'em a lesson and the master didn't say nothin' about how, so I can do that any way I want."

What even went through this man's head? "And _why_ are we teaching them a lesson?"

"Because they threatened our reputation!" Totomaru interjected.

"Then _don't you think_ that doing something so violent it could _harm_ our reputation is counter-productive?" Juvia stated firmly.

Gajeel just shrugged her off, the picture of nonchalance as he turned away. "Nah. Press loves that sorta shit."

Sol shrugged in turn. "Any publicity is good publicity, as zey say."

Juvia glared fiercely at the lot of them. "Gajeel is being reckless, and Juvia will not take part in this plan," she declared.

"Suit yourself." Gajeel was already beginning to head that direction, which only served to infuriate the rain woman further. "You losers keep lookin' fer the girl then. Not like I care."

But he did care. Inside, Gajeel was seething. How dare she call him out like that. Deny him like that! _She_, who always supported him, whom he always supported. Not until he put some good distance between himself and the others, though, did he finally let out an angry roar.

When he did arrive at the hall, he found it empty. What a fucking waste. He might've been content to just rough up a few wizards for information and leave a couple scars on the walls as a reminder, but no. He couldn't even have that.

As his rage finally boiled to a peak, he unleashed an Iron Fist that put a hole clean through the wall. Observing his handiwork, he decided he needed much, much more. And empty holes simply wouldn't do. They needed to know _exactly_ who they were dealing with. So determined was he that he didn't even care how draining it was to create sustainable iron; he formed pillar after pillar and skewered the building until it resembled a porcupine.

Smash, crush, snap! Every wall that gave way was incredibly therapeutic. When at last he finished, the iron dragon was exhausted, but he grinned at his work. _No one_ was going to miss _that. _Not the flies, not the city folk who worshipped them, and not a certain pretentious little rain woman who thought she was too good to get her hands dirty.

Now it was time for sleep. But Phantom Lord had come calling, and in the morning he would see the Fairies's answer.

-

[A/N: So I guess they didn't technically meet after all but ssh. Events have begun, that counts.]


	9. Haunted Fey

Levy never did get to talk to Droy that night before she'd headed home. It had been pretty late, so she and Jet had simply said their goodbyes and parted ways. She had considered asking Jet to talk to Droy- and wouldn't be _too_ surpised if he dropped a hint or two anyway- but decided it was best if she actually do it herself.

Now, as she awoke, she was rather looking forward to the new day, stretching before almost literally hopping out of bed. She picked out something cute to wear, and had just started on her hair when a commotion began to pick up in the hallway. _Wonder what that's about_. But she gave it little other thought until a voice rang through clearly just outside her door.

"Everyone, wake up! Get out here! It's the guild!"

Levy tripped over several books in her scramble to the door. As she flung it open, she saw Chico, the dorm owner's daughter, looking frantic. "Levy! It's terrible, the guild! We- we have to-!"

"Hey, slow down!" Levy put a hand on the older girl's shoulder in a vain attempt to calm her. "Now what's going on?" She wasn't even sure how broad that question was. Girls seemed to be panicking throughout the halls, and several of Chico's souls and Mickey's birds swarmed about, adding to the chaos.

"The guild hall has been destroyed." It was Bisca behind them.

"What!?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "When, how!?"

"You'll see soon enough. We're all heading there now to see what we can do." Levy nodded and went to ensure she had everything she needed.

-

When the Fairy Hills group arrived, they found a number of members already there and working- or trying to. Levy spotted Jet and Droy among them, examining one of the many massive pillars protruding from the building. Any thoughts of her intended conversation for the day long since abandoned, she rushed over to them.

"How could this happen...?" Levy's voice was weak as she fought back tears. Surely she would wake up any minute, at home in her bed. "Who would do something like this?"

"Phantom Lord," spat Jet; Levy's shocked gaze snapped to the words.

"One of the shopkeepers nearby said they saw a large man bearing Phantom's emblem leaving the scene," Droy explained. In the meantime, he was double-checking every type of seed he owned, desperately hoping he'd just forgotten one that could have the strength to move something so enormous, but he found none.

"After that, some of us started asking around and got some similar reports. Apparently several high-ranking Phantom wizards were seen in town last night.." Jet grit his teeth and sneered. "Asking about Fairy Tail."

Levy was still in disbelief. "But why..." Nearby, others were fairing no better. Elfman had tried and failed to move a pillar with his great strength, and now cried to Mira, who did her best to comfort him. A crying Romeo and terrified Macao comforted one another. Laki attempted to use her Wood Make magic to push a pillar away, but minimal progress was made before the timbers snapped under the great weight. Whoever had done this must have been a monster, both mentally and physically. Laxus may have been able to help, but he and the Legion were off on a job. Certainly Gildarts would be strong enough, but no one had heard from him since he left years ago.

Likely Makarov would be their only hope. Already Levy could spot one empty hole where their Master had removed a pillar, heaven only knew what he'd done with it after, but disheartened as they all were he had quickly shifted his efforts into making certain the guild could continue to function before worrying about how it looked.

She could not hold onto her tears any longer. "Why would they do something like this?"

To that, they had no answer. But Jet pulled her closer and allowed her to cry into his chest while Droy continued searching in vain for any way to help.

-

After a while, Levy was about cried out, and Droy had thoroughly given up, so they simply joined the majority of the guild in making the basement usable, setting up tables and chairs and moving the thankfully-in-tact request board.

Once it was suitable enough, they found a table of their own and simply sat for a while, absorbing everything that had happened. Tomorrow they would start taking jobs again, and once all the pillars were removed they might do what they could to help with repairs. It seemed Makarov had taken to drinking off his rage for today, though, so said repairs were just going to have to wait for now. Levy couldn't blame him. No one could, really.

She might have gone for a drink herself, but Levy was an absolutely _giddy_ drunk. Even if it would probably improve her mood, it felt... inappropriate.

As they whiled the day away, they would occasionally get up to help someone else just arriving get up to speed or talk with others seated nearby, but mostly they kept to themselves. It was clear to everyone that the longer they did nothing, the more everyone's mood was souring, but Makarov had been explicit in his orders.

Levy barely noticed when Lucy and her team arrived, back from their overnight job it seemed. Mira seemed to be filling them in already, however, and confessing her crush at this point was essentially the furthest thing from her mind.

Suddenly, Droy gave a groan and slumped back in his chair, nearly lying down, whether from defeat or frustration Levy didn't know. "Man, this is such bullshit."

"It is.." Her voice was smaller than usual.

With a huff, Jet added, "We've never been on the best terms with those Phantom jerks, but c'mon." Levy could tell he was about a hair strand away from starting up his fidgeting, and she honestly felt for him as she realized just how hard sitting still must be for him especially. Asking Jet to do literally-nothing was like asking Natsu to calm down or Gray to keep his clothes on. If he didn't burn off that energy somehow he was likely to burst soon enough.

"Wanna teach 'em a lesson?" Droy wasn't even sure himself if this was sarcastic. Really, it was about equal parts a sincere desire and a 'yeah, right, what could we even do'.

Levy wasn't taking the risk, though. "Back off, you guys." She hoped Phantom got what was coming to them as much as the next Fairy, but as Makarov had noted, retaliating would only make things worse. "Don't you think we're in enough trouble already?" Their situation, physically and financially, was bad enough without having the Magic Council breathing down their necks to boot; and even if she couldn't imagine what Phantom Lord could have possibly had against them, she did hope that they'd gotten it out of their system and would just leave them alone. On top of all that, Levy couldn't stand the thought of her boys rushing off and getting themselves hurt or worse.

Droy gave a little groan. "Yeah... yeah." He sighed. "I just wish there was somethin' we could do, ya know?"

Jet nodded a bit swiftly. "Has anyone reported this to the council yet?" He seemed to be talking a bit faster than usual as well.

Levy nodded. "We're gonna try, but with nothing but a few local witnesses they probably won't get more than a small reprimand. If we're lucky, maybe a small sum to help with the repairs."

"Really lucky," corrected Droy. "The Council hates us as it is."

"That's true." Levy's frown deepened.

"Manthatsucks." And there came the taptaptaptap of his foot. "Iwonderifwecouldgetanymoreevidenceyaknow?"

Even in a time of crisis, Jet was Jet; Levy supposed she was thankful for that. Forcing a weak smile at him, she changed the subject. "Hey... In all the commotion, I don't think any of us have really eaten today. Do you wanna run and pick us something up?"

His ears almost visibly perked at the word 'run'. "Y-yeah," he answered, quickly standing and doing his best not to look _too_ relieved. He was still aching as much as any of them, he just.. Yeah. "I'll uh. I'll be right back."

Levy gave him a little wave. "Take your time." The moment he headed for the door, she let the smile fall away and sighed again.

"You don't tend to eat much when you're upset, do you?" Droy asked, finally shifting to sit properly in his chair.

"Not really," Levy answered with a shrug. "But you do, right?"

His face heated a bit. He supposed it wasn't really much of a secret that he turned into a glutton when he was especially down, but it still wasn't something he was especially proud of. "I guess." Either way though. He moved a hand under the table to place on Levy's knee. "That was a really great idea, though. He really did need it."

A slightly less forced smile came out, if just for a second or two. "Thanks." Even in times of crisis, Levy was still Levy as well, and the praise and doting of her eternal fanboys was always sure to lift her spirits, even if only a little.

-

Morning had come, and Gajeel had waited.

High noon shone, and Gajeel had waited.

The afternoon waned, and Gajeel had waited.

The horizon glowed with evening light, and it became clear to Gajeel that no one was coming to play. He had watched from a distance as Fairy after Fairy entered the hall, but not once had a group come out looking ready to fight. There were tears, frustration, even anger, but it wasn't enough. That creepy little master of theirs seemed to be keeping everyone in check and utterly ruining Gajeel's plans.

Just as he was thinking this had all been a waste of effort, a fairy did come racing out at- whoa! Gajeel jumped to attention and began racing across rooftops following the trail of dust left by the figure, but he didn't stand a chance. "What the hell." He snarled as he stopped to rest against a chimney. The little fly was _mocking_ him. He punched the rock beside him, sending several chips of it flying.

Although he could still see the dust and the general direction it was headed, there was simply no way he was going to catch up. Absolutely fuming, he headed back to watch the guild hall.

A bit later, however, dust began to kick up in the distance again- the fast fly coming back? He found a more discreet spot from which to watch and kept his eyes peeled. He hadn't gotten a good look before, but as the figured slowed in front of the guild entrance, he felt certain it was the same guy. Taking note of his key features, Gajeel broke into a grin. He'd just had a marvelous idea.

If the carnage he'd wrought wasn't enough to provoke the Fairy bastards, he'd just have to take things up a notch- and maybe teach this particular bastard never to mock the Iron Dragon Slayer.

-

The day dragged into night. Jet felt better after burning some energy, Droy felt better after replenishing some energy, and even Levy was starting to feel a bit more like herself. They could make it through this. They just had to stay positive.

As people began drifting out of the hall for the evening, Makarov (somewhat belatedly) insisted that no one go alone. They had no way of knowing whether or not Phantom's goons were still hanging around, and there was safety in numbers, he said.

This further perked up Levy as she saw a little silver lining. "In that case, I'll go with the boys," she said. Both were quite surprised, unused to such openness from her, but who was complaining? Certainly not Jet or Droy! "After all, they aren't nearly as strong when it's just the two of them."

_Gee, thanks Levy._ Both deadpanned a bit.

"Since we're used to fighting together, we'll be the safest staying together~" No one could find any flaw with that logic, so no one thought anything of it when the trio left together.

This was the second time, then. The second time that Levy had left the guild hall with Jet and Droy to stay the night at their place, each time with others aware she was doing so. The first time, only about a week before, it had only been Makarov and Lucy; but this time a large portion of the guild knew... and no one seemed to care!

Sure, logically she could tell herself it was because there was a pressing reason each time, but that didn't change the fact that _this was happening_. If.. if others started getting used to the idea of the three of them being together at all hours, then... maybe she could start staying over whenever she wanted? Maybe even come out about the relationship, eventually, if she became confident enough that no one would care. The last bit was a little more of a stretch, but... this was still the first step!

And for that, Levy was not only in a better mood; she was _elated._ Had anyone who had seen her in the guild hall earlier moping seen her now, walking with her arms outstretched in an 'airplane' manner and positively beaming, they would have sworn it was night and day.

So jarring was the difference, in fact, that the guys were each a little worried for her. "Hey... You sure this is okay?" Droy asked.

A shadow moved along the rooftops.

"Shouldn't you stay with Laki and the others at the girls's dorm?" Jet offered. Both of them knew being even this open was likely to be difficult for her, and they didn't want her to feel like she had to risk exposure if she didn't want to. They could probably take care of themselves if safety was the only issue.

The source of the voices was almost in his line of sight.

"It's _fine, _I don't wanna split up _our team_~" Levy teased, all but singing as she did.

She laughed silently to herself as the boys dramatically swooned, and then seemed to perk up themselves. Their thoughts began to align with hers on where this could lead longterm, though admittedly each was a bit more concerned with the shortterm possibilities than Levy was.

But honestly, she was excited! She could imagine their own hopes for the evening, and was even considering it, even if she hadn't decided for sure just yet.

Red eyes set on the man in the furry hat before examining his companions.

"The three of us can face anything together!" Jet boasted, absolutely swelling with Shadow Gear pride now. He would say this was the sort of solidarity he'd envisioned as a kid, but honestly he never would have imagined things quite like this.

That was the cocky bastard all right.

"I'll always protect you!" Droy enthused, feeling better than he had all day.

Gajeel leapt from his perch.

"No _I_ will!" Jet teased, as if there was any question that they would both do their best to protect her forever. But even as the words left him, something else caught their ears.

Jet didn't have time to finish turning around before he saw a flash a pavement, and then everything went black. _Who's running now?_

A whole second may or may not have elapsed before Droy hit the ground as well, knocked out by an iron club to the head; wait, that wasn't a club at all.

Levy's place as third in line combined with her size were the only reasons she got a decent look at their attacker, just barely managing to duck when he finally turned to her. The man was huge, even without the excess added by standing on Jet's back, and his grin was the most terrifying thing she'd ever seen. The sick bastard was enjoying this!

Fueled by something of a fight-_and_-flight, she rolled out of the way of his next attack and cried out, "Solid Script: Fire!" She didn't like fighting, and this was definitely not a spell she'd typically use on another human but he _hurt her team._ Tears rolled down her face, but gone were qualms of morality or pacifism.

The monster didn't even flinch. To her horror, he walked straight through the flames, slowly, foreboding. His skin- no, he was covered in scales now!- glowed red, but cooled quickly. "Afraid you're gonna have to turn up the heat, little girl." His voice was like throwing rusty nails in a blender.

Now that he'd seen her magic, he'd decided there was no need to rush; he'd make her _squirm_ first, teach her the consequences of trying to trade blows with Black Steel Gajeel.

As her heart raced harder, she tried to distance herself and gave it another shot. "Solid Script: Lightning!"

An arm raised, once again becoming metallic- that looked exactly like the columns in the guild hall!- and turned him into a lightningrod. For a moment the metal at least looked blackened, but when it reverted to flesh, he appeared unscathed.

Sweat poured; her blood boiled; tears continued to stream. "Solid Script: Oil!"

Finally, some progress! The bigger they were, the harder they fell, and Levy was pretty sure the pavement cracked as this guy fell on his ass. She knew it was too soon to celebrate, however, and sure enough the maneuver bought her only a few seconds before he was back on his feet, more pissed than before.

"Bad move, half-pint."

"Solid Script: Gua-" "Iron Dragon Hammer!" He cast just a hair faster than she, and the girl hit the ground without finishing her own spell.

"Damn shame," Gajeel spat. She was actually pretty cute, all things considered. Had she just accepted her fate, he might've even gone easy on her. But she had to go and ruin it by being _defiant_, just like a certain other bluenette he knew.

This Fairy trash needed to learn its place. This whole guild, this whole job, was making him sick.

Spotting the pool of oil from her earlier attack, he suddenly had the perfect idea. He picked up the word girl by the back of her vest and carried her over to the pool, then knelt down and used it to draw Phantom Lord's emblem. Just in case the other little flies didn't understand just who they were _dealing with_. He then decided the other two didn't look roughed up enough, and beat them a couple extra times for good measure.

Of course, from there, he couldn't just leave them in the streets. Who knew how long it would be before someone saw them. No, they needed to be on proper display. _That_ would show them.

Ideally, they would realize they were outmatched, come crying, begging for it to stop. Phantom could present its demands, and the world would see what a bunch of sniveling weaklings the guild really was next to the awesome might of Phantom.

If, however, they decided to retaliate, well.. Gajeel would simply have to grind every last one of them into dust. ... Wait, which one was ideal again?

Seeing it as a win-win whatever the Fairies did, Gajeel gathered all three of the wizards with relative ease and headed toward the nearest city landmark in South Gate Park.

-

A/N: The conflict has begun. As always, reviews are much loved~ 


	10. Intra-guild Conflict

[Disclaimer: As always, I don't own any lines that are quoted; quotes use dubs.]

-

Totomaru let out a long sigh. "This job is so boooorrring. What's the deal with this chick anyway?"

Aria, with whom he was searching, began to tear up. The fire mage wished he were surprised. "It's such a tragedy.. A family torn assunder by a rebellious spirit... A father willing to go to such extremes to see his precious child returned to his care..."

_Or a rich guy too lazy to go look for himself,_ Totomaru mentally snarked. Still, he shrugged and supposed he shouldn't complain when the guy was paying so well.

"Sup losers," came a familiar voice. The duo had just enough time to turn around before the dragon slayer hit the pavement.

"Not much. You have any luck on your end?"

A bright grin flashed. "Oh, I don't think we'll need to search any longer. The little flies should be coming to us soon enough."

"Really?" Gajeel explained his actions, earning a somewhat mixed laugh from the fire mage. "Dude that sounds kinda harsh. But I guess it certainly should get the job done!" Besides, the victims would probably recover, right? It wasn't like he actually killed anyone, so no need to get too worked up.

"How very..._ tragic_." Although Aria's words carried a lament, both his comrades got the distinct feeling that he approved of this action.

_Man, that guy's got issues,_ Gajeel thought, shaking his head. "Anyway, figured there's no sense in hangin' around this scrap heap of a town any longer."

Totomaru nodded. "You tell the others yet?"

"Nah, they're next." He actually couldn't believe his luck in coming across these two first. After all, there was a virtual beacon for the others: the three Phantom wizards headed toward the center of the single dark cloud that hovered over Magnolia.

For a few minutes, they simply walked in silence. Then Totomaru broke it. "...Soo." Gajeel's answer was a questioning glare; from the tone alone, he was already feeling an urge to punch him. Despite this, the young wizard continued. "Have you made up with her yet?"

Silence, broken only by footsteps.

"Gajeel?"

A little longer. Then, "Dunno whatcher talkin' about." The words dripped venom.

Totomaru rolled his eyes, though the slayer in front of him couldn't see as much. "Uh-huh." Clack. Clack. Clack. Clack. Nothing but boots on pavement. "Have you guys ever fought before?"

_No._.

A little disagreement here or there, and even some sparring matches, but not... a _fight_. He honestly had no idea what to do, but from where he stood, she was just being a stubborn bitch and needed to come down off her damn high horse.

The splatter of raindrops joined the clatter of feet. Gajeel still only glared.

"Tis always so sad when lovers quarrel," remarked Aria.

"Watch yer fuckin' mouth." His scowl fell back over his shoulder again.

Totomaru raised his hands defensively. "Easy big guy. We're just tryin' ta help." He was even pissier than usual today, it seemed. "I know how much I hate fighting with _my_ girlfriend."

At that last word, Gajeel's eyes widened, and a moment later his Iron Dragon Club skimmed within inches of Totomaru's face; he'd dodged. The slayer's voice was a thin rasp. "She is not." His metal arm retracted. "My fucking." It reverted to flesh. "Girlfriend."

She had made that much _explicitly_ clear. He wasn't _her type._ She _couldn't see a future_ with _him._ So why should he give a damn.

A dark, malevolent aura seemed to radiate off the dragon after that remark, and Totomaru, heart still racing, decided he'd push his luck no farther.

It seemed he wouldn't have had much chance to do so anyway, as it was only a minute later that a familiar chant rang out. "Drip, drip, drop." Gajeel wondered for just a moment if she'd overheard them before remembering that he didn't care.

Sol's form half-rose out of the street nearby. "_Bonjour! _To what do we owe ze pleasure of zis meeting?"

"We're going home," Gajeel said shortly.

"Did Gajeel's plan work, then?" droned the rain woman. He'd seen her like this before, when she first joined Phantom. He'd seen her at times interacting with others in the guild or with clients or people around town. He knew she got like this when she was upset, or angry, or worried she was being a bother. But it had been so long since that tone was directed at _him._

More than that, though: technically, the answer was no. "It will when they see what else I left 'em." He plastered on an arrogant smirk.

Juvia.. was afraid to ask. "Do you have the girl," she didn't quite ask. She could see them, after all, though she supposed they _could_ have left her somewhere.

His grin faded. "... No."

"Do you know where to find her."

And turned to a scowl. "... No."

"Then Juvia will continue searching."

"We're going home," Gajeel commanded.

"The _mission_," replied Juvia, "is not complete. Gajeel may go. But Juvia will _not._"

His eyes narrowed, and he broke into something of a snarl. "_Fine. _We don't need all yer doom an' gloom _anyway._"

The stoic face flashed with emotion, but it was not the kind Gajeel had ever hoped to see. For just a moment he thought she would cry, and he fought to keep himself from reacting accordingly. But soon enough, her expression grew even harder than before. "Very well," she said flatly.

She spun on her heels, then, and headed back the way they'd come.

One hand started to move, as if he would reach out to stop her, but he denied it. Let her go. What business was it of his.

All eyes turned then to Sol, who sighed. "I zuppose it would not do to have _le mademoiselle_ wandering about by her lonesome, _oui?_" With a look to Gajeel, he added, "With your permission, _mon capitaine?_"

Gajeel let out something between a groan and a sigh. "Whatever. Let's just go you two." With that, Sol melted back into the ground, and Gajeel and the others headed for the train station. Totomaru and Aria exchanged a look, but said nothing.

-

Juvia would have been fuming, if she didn't feel so dead inside. She was such a foolish child. After all this time, his true feelings had shown through, and lo and behold: he'd just been using her. Lying, sugarcoating, tolerating her to get what he wanted.

Just like all the others.

She wasn't even sad. She was just empty.

That was, until Sol began to speak up. "_Ma chère_, are you certain you're all right?"

"I'm fine."

Sol's jaw went a little slack. _Who_... was fine? He melted back into the earth and re-emerged closer to her. "Forgive me. I meant no offense."

Her eyes never moved from the path ahead. "None taken."

Fingers tapped at his chin as he thought on what he could say that might ease the situation. "You and Gajeel... You are _camarades, non?_"

"I suppose." Never did her monotone waver. "That is the point of a guild."

_Non, non, non_, that wasn't what he was trying to say. "_Mes excuses_. What I mean to say is..." Again he melted, popping up on the opposite side. "Anyone with eyes can see you two are.." He tapped his fingertips together. "Ezpecially close, _ma chère._ Like... _famille? _Or perhaps... _amoureaux?_"

Juvia was only about 90% certan she got all of his.. whatever language that was. But if he was saying what she thought he was, she didn't like it. "Juvia is a gloomy rain woman," was her answer, the barest hint of bite entering her words. "Drip.. Drip.. Drop."

Sol frowned. Shame. This was the sort of thing he would simply love to delve deeper into were it not one of his companions. His specialty was aggrivating wounds, not tending them. Still, he supposed it was clear enough in this case what had her so upset. "I'm sure he was merely speaking in anger, _ma petite fleur_."

She almost wanted to believe that, but she had dealt with this far too many times before. Already she had let her naive hopes get the best of her toward him. It would not happen again.

"I know you may disagree with his methods, but I am sure he is only thinking of ze guild, as are you. _Monsieur_ Gajeel simply-"

Juvia cut him off with a glance. "With all due respect, Sol," she snapped, more emotion in these few moments than she would show again for days. "Monsieur Gajeel can _go fuck himself._"

-

The ride back to Oak Town was fortunately not a long one; Magnolia wasn't quite its next door neighbor, but it wasn't terribly far from it. As such, the three elite wizards soon found themselves back at their own guild.

Master Jose was busy just that moment, it seemed, so Totomaru and Aria excused themselves and headed upstairs. Gajeel didn't feel like being there right now. In fact, he didn't feel like much of anything.

Food. Food was always comforting. And by food, he meant he had already found his way to the storage room and dragged out a box full of scrap metal to dump on a table. Another followed it, and another, until he had more than he could possibly eat in one sitting. Still, it was a beautiful sight. Jose could just take his sweet fucking time; Gajeel had everything he needed right here.

Even through the constant crunch, crunch, crunch he could occasionally pick up sounds of everyone in the guild going on about the recent events. Seemed the others had let a few details slip on their way up. Typical. Not that he especially minded; he just wished everyone would calm their tits until the actual report was given. At this rate he wasn't even going to need to talk to Jose.

Some twenty minutes into his meal, however, one of his more.. _sociable_ guildmates approached. "So, Gajeel!" Ugh, he hated this guy. No respect for rank. He just thought he could be buddy-buddy with anyone. "I heard you made a mess out of the Fairy Tail guild hall! Oh man, I wish I coulda seen the looks on their faces!" If there was a more obnoxious voice in Phantom Lord, Gajeel wasn't sure he'd heard it. "They prob'ly ran away cryin' ta their mommies!" _He just. kept. going. _"Boo, hoo! Somebody awob bmah grway ousz."

That last bit might have been muffled by the sound of his biting down on a mouthful of scrap, or he might have just started tuning the guy out; probably the latter. Whatever the reason, it certainly wasn't that the author replayed this scene about 20 times and was still left wondering what the hell he was saying. ... Cough.

Whatever the case, the obnoxious sound of the guy's laughter sent him over the edge, and he quickly delivered an Iron Dragon Club to the face. "How many times do I hafta tell ya, I don't like ta be bothered while I'm _eating_!"

A wave of snickers passed through the nearby members. Seemed Gajeel wasn't the only one who didn't like this guy.

All the same, he figured he may as well address it, lest he be interrupted yet again. He'd already stood in the process of attacking, and now turned to face the others. "And besides. Those Fairy Tail clowns can't challenge us. We're way more powerful than they could ever hope ta be." They could accept that or try to prove him wrong, but either way ended with Fairy Tail's humiliation and Phantom Lord's exaltation.

"The die has been cast." The crisp, authoritative voice rang through the room, silencing everyone. It seemed Jose had finally found a moment for them. What perfect timing. "I compliment your excellent work, Gajeel."

So it seemed he'd overheard about the guild hall after all, or perhaps been filled in by Totomaru or Aria. Just as well. As long as he knew, Gajeel certainly wasn't going to complain; less work for him. Giving reports was never his favorite part of the job anyway. Still, he wasn't sure if Jose knew both parts of the story. "I didn't think we were hard enough on 'em, so I decided to leave 'em a little somethin' extra," he snarked, and a grin spread. "A present... that's sure to get those Fairy Tailers's panties in a knot."

"Very good, my boy." If Jose knew Gajeel, his so-called present was certain to have been excessive to say the least. Then again, Jose _did_ know Gajeel, and he knew exactly what he'd been asking for when he sent the iron dragon on this particular mission. "Be sure to take extra care that no harm comes to _that one_, if you please," he half-sang.

"Gi hi." They both knew this wasn't about the job; to the contrary, the little rich girl was likely to be the _only_ one Jose cared about harming, and only for reputation's sake even then. The money was a nice bonus, but it would benefit the individual wizards far more than the guild itself. If the literal castle wasn't enough indication, Phantom Lord was not hurting for funds.

"Would I be correct in assuming that we should be hearing an answer soon?" Gajeel could practically see the wheels turning.

"Should unless the cowards are _totally_ spineless."

The smile left Jose's eyes, but widened upon his lips. ..Shit. "And if they are?" The tone had become even sweeter, to an uncomfortable degree.

Gajeel's grin fell, but he simply shrugged and averted his gaze nonchalantly. "Then the rain woman and the foreigner are still lookin' fer the girl."

The venom left the master's voice. "I see. Yes, that is indeed quite excellent then." In truth, he knew Makarov well enough to know he would not back down once properly provoked; he just didn't want Gajeel getting lazy on him. Had to keep the dragon on his toes. "Quite excellent indeed." His voice trailed off, as though he were talking more to himself there. "It seems preparations must be made. Be sure to see me first thing in the morning."

He was turning away now, so Gajeel went back to his metallic buffet. As he gnawed away at a slightly rusty crowbar, he found himself slightly- _slightly_- grateful that Juvia's decision had bailed him out there. He knew Jose was rarely likely to do anything to him unless he really, _really_ fucked up, but it still was good to stay on the Master's good side when he could.

Of course, that didn't change that he was still pissed about at how stubborn she was being, either. That expression when he'd lashed out again crossed his mind, and his teeth snapped the crowbar clean in two. _It's her own damn fault_, he insisted. _She's too soft for her own good._

Soft like her sky blue curls. Soft like her perfect breasts. Soft like her heartfelt gaze every time he was having a bad da-

_Fucking shit!_ He stuffed his cheeks full of as many nuts and bolts as they could hold and concentrated on nothing but chewing. He barely wanted such girly sissy thoughts even when he was writing and he certainly didn't want them now.

All the same, despite all his efforts, the Dragon Slayer soon found his thoughts straying once more. _Wonder how she's doin'..._

-

A/N: I don't have much to say here. I just love Gajeel and Juvia both so much. :'3


	11. Inter-guild Conflict

[Same disclaimer as previous chapters.]

-

The following morning, Jose gathered his three currently available elite and shared his speculations as to Fairy Tail's reaction. The way the wizard saint saw it, there were only two wizards with their rival's emblem who posed any true threat to Phantom in a combat situation: Makarov and Gildarts. With the latter fallen off the map, it meant their first priority would be the rival master. Certainly Gajeel and the Element Four would be more than a match for the S-class Fairies once that was accomplished.

Further adding to their advantage was Mystogan's tendency to stay out of guild affairs. Rumor had it the mysterious figure never so much as spoke to anyone, save Makarov. Just as well. Not to mention the she-devil who at last hearing was now an _employee_ of the guild rather than an active member. Truly pitiful.

What this amounted to was one old man to be dealt with as swiftly as possible, followed by a measly two noteworthy wizards against Phantom's three- five if Juvia and Sol had made it back before the fight went down- and finally a flock of lesser fairies just begging to have their wings plucked.

Gajeel smirked. "We'll send them home with their tails between their legs." Tails. Because. They were.. Never mind.

"So long as you stick to the plan, my boy."

The lesser members of Phantom were left out of this loop intentionally, so as to lull the Fairies into a false sense of security. Moral purist that Makarov was, he was unlikely to allow his precious children to do any major harm, and if accidents did happen, they simply happened. Phantom was not hurting for members. They were certain to maximize the hype surrounding the previous attacks to raise morale, however.

Meanwhile, Jose and each of his prized wizards were to stay out of sight until Makarov came looking for Jose- and the Lord of Phantom was certain he would. That was when Aria would strike. Gajeel, in turn, would enter the main fray, while Totomaru provided support to Aria in the event that Makarov did not come alone or any stragglers split off from the main fight.

Once Jose was satisfied that everyone understood their roles, they simply found ways to kill time and waited.

For Gajeel, that time was all but unbearable. He and Juvia often worked separately, so he was often at the guild alone, but somehow today he was much more accutely aware of it. Everywhere he looked, there was _something_ to keep his head spinning, and it was pissing him off. At last, he just lay down and covered his face; screw this.

Then, at long last, a thunderous explosion shook the whole building. Gajeel jumped to his feet, elated, and rushed toward the source.

A forceful voice filled the main room and halls. "FAIRY TAIL HAS COME CALLING."

_Finally._

Finally the battle came into view, but rather than go downstairs, Gajeel stepped up on the overlooking banister and leapt up into the rafters. From here, he'd have the perfect vantage point. It took all of his iron will not to jump in straight away, but he took consolation in the fact that it really was a thrilling battle.

He may have even been caught off-guard by just how well Fairy Tail was doing, but he knew good and well this was Fairy Tail's best against Phantom's near-worst. There was nothing to get worked up about. Moreover, he found it amusing just how well Jose had called the details of the event. Truly, it was quite a show.

At one point, he did note that no one among them matched their target's description. Were the flies actively protecting her, he wondered? Or was the little princess just too scared to get in a real fight?

"Gi hi."

-

Meanwhile in Magnolia, Juvia had scarcely slept for two days. Sol occasionally insisted she rest, but she was determined to complete their mission- and to do so properly. No more mess. No more injuries. This was supposed to be simple. Phantom's pride was just as important to her as it was to nigh anyone in the guild, but personally she did _not_ agree that any publicity was good publicity, as the saying purported.

Between the draining effect of this stress, her exhaustion, and the scars of Gajeel's betrayal of trust, the rain woman was a walking husk, even by _her_ standards.

"Eww, where did this rain come from?" a nearby man sneered as she passed through his street.

"Daddy, are we still gonna be able to play?" "You promised today!" These were two children.

"It's all right," Juvia droned as she passed them. "Juvia apologizes for the rain. Drip drop."

The three all looked to her. "Daddy, what's the funny lady talking about?"

"It will be over soon. Drip drip drop." As always, the rain followed her, and soon the family was back to their plans, the incident all but forgotten.

Juvia had dozens, perhaps hundreds of such conversations on this day. Merchants, civilians, an official or two. Sometimes she greeted them; sometimes she didn't have the chance. It didn't matter anyway. Everyone was becoming a blur to her anyway.

What was she doing again?

Ahead stood yet another citizen surprised by the rain. As this one spied its source, she called out, "Who are you!?" Better than 'what' are you, she supposed.

"Drip, drip, drop. Juvia is the rain woman," she said, offering her introduction and explanation in one. "It's always with me."

The girl seemed shock by that response. Was Juvia's appearance frightening at the moment? Or did the girl fear the rain? Perhaps Juvia was even imagining the reaction. A small part of her felt compelled to continue the conversation in hopes of easing the girl's nerves; the rest of her was too tired to argue. "And what sort of woman are you, pray tell?"

"Uuuhhh I'm just the regular kind?" she stammered.

Regular. How enviable. "Drip, drop," she sighed.

"Uh, what's with all the drip-dropping?"

Juvia couldn't be bothered to explain farther... although she did suddenly recall that she was not carrying her umbrella. No wonder eyes had been on her even quicker than usual (or had she imagined that as well? Whatever the case, having it couldn't hurt.) Popping it open, she excused herself. "Pleasure to meet you," she tactfully lied. "I'll be going now." As if she'd ever stopped moving.

"Well take the rain with ya!" the girl snapped.

Juvia let out a silent sigh. Far too numb was she to care much at just that moment, but later she knew this would be another voice in the crowd: the throng of echoes that kept her up at night even on her best days, wondering what she must have done in a past life to deserve such a persistent curse. The curse that drove everyone around her away. The curse that denied her any hope of love- even the love of friends.

"-_non, non!_" She snapped back to reality just in time to catch Sol raising up out of the ground. Her companion had been alternating between following her underground and branching off the check nearby streets alone before circling back; it seemed he was just returning from such a trip. He greeted someone, but whether it was the blonde or herself, Juvia wasn't quite sure.

"Great, _another_ weirdo!?" Juvia didn't know whether to be offended at her insulting Sol or relieved that it apparently wasn't just her that the unpleasant girl was quick to judge.

"Juvia, _ma petite amie_, you muzn't shy away from ze task at hand!" he chided.

What did he mean? "No, Monsieur Sol.."

"My monocle whispers to me many things, _ma chérie_." She would never quite understand the deal with the monocle, but she had never questioned it before and was far too tired to do so now. She could feel her eyelids yearning to droop, but did her best to remain alert. She spaced out for about half a sentence, but came back just in time for "-sought after _cible._"

Why could he not just... Ah, right, he'd used that word several times on this mission thus far; she knew that. ..Wait, so? "Definite...? So she's the one." She felt she should have been happier about finding her at last, or at least relieved. As it was, she just wanted to go home.

"_Cible_... That means target."

_Oh good.. Sol can have a friend now._ The thought was bone dry.

Sol and their target exchanged some words, of which Juvia caught about half. He introduced himself as well as her, even referring to her as '_ma belle compagne'_; had Juvia been coherent enough to bother translating, being called 'beautiful', even if only by Sol, might have been enough to lift her spirits if only a hair. As it was, she simply let them carry on..

Before remembering that capturing was their objective. Right, yes, of course. She performed a Water Lock just as the girl was accusing them of harming those poor Fairies from the park. Sol quickly corrected her.

"That honor [something? Juvia didn't care] is ze work of _Monsieur _Gajeel. Alzough, to be fair, we were with him in spirit, as ze saying goes."

A spark of anger shot through Juvia. This wasn't the time or place, but she may have to confront him about that accusation later. As the girl- Lucy, that was it- struggled against Juvia's spell, the rain woman explained the futility before doing her best to comfort the girl. It was nothing personal, and unlike a certain reckless dragon, Juvia would never intentionally harm an innocent unless she absolutely must.

"The target has been acquired. Drip, drip, drop." Once the oxygen deprivation had done its job in knocking out the girl, Juvia released it lest it do any serious damage. Gentleman as he was (or perhaps simply because he could see her wavering on her own feet), Sol offered to carry the girl, and together they headed toward headquarteers. The train ride, Juvia thought, would be a wonderful time to sleep.

-

At last- at long last- Makarov broke away from the fray. All this fighting had his blood pumping, and it was all he could do to wait until Makarov was completely out of his line of sight before jumping in.

As the human canonball crashed down, all the hall went silent. Phantoms and Fairies alike began gawking, and whispers of his identity swept through the room as the dust cleared. It was a wonderful feeling. Everyone knew him. And everyone _feared_ him.

Gajeel began sweeping the floor before at last someone stepped up who might have been worth so much as his notice. Not many men stood taller than Gajeel himself, and he knew of only one among those with takeover magic. "You're Elfman, right?" It would truly be a pleasure taking out one of the better-known members of this pathetic excuse for a guild.

The beast didn't disappoint, managing to take several blows- although admittedly, Gajeel at this point was only toying. But then he got a wicked idea, and attacked a few of his least favorite guildmates as a diversion. Sure enough, the soft-hearted Fairy fell for it, and was left wide-open.

Gajeel never would have expected what happened next, however, and it would change his life. Some punk kid with blazing pink hair jumped into the fray, and delivered to Gajeel the hardest blow he'd taken in seven long years. Somewhere in the back of his mind, the Iron Dragon felt a surge of emotions, but they were quickly swept away in the cacophonous storm tearing through his head. Everything was adrenaline and chaos. He got to his feet with a positively frenzied grin.

"Allow me to introduce myself: I'm Fairy Tail's Dragon Slayer!"

Gajeel thought as much. Now _this_ would be a fight. "Iron Dragon Club!"

Natsu caught the metallic pillar in flaming hands. "You destroyed our guild hall." _That's right, punk. _"And you attacked Levy and her team!"

Somehow this hit harder than it should have. For the first time since the attack, Gajeel felt a tinge of.. was that guilt? But why now? Perhaps it was something in the way he said it. Either way, he felt himself flinch, if only slightly. In that off-guard moment, he was sent flying for the second time; he almost recovered, but was soon sent crashing into a wall.

Gajeel lay in the rubble for a few moments, lost in his own thoughts. Maybe.. he really had gone a bit too far. Beating someone up was one thing, but had it been overkill? Juvia.. certainly had thought so. Some dozen other thoughts were all occurring at once, but somewhere among those another was that he had no idea how capable those particular wizards were; what if they were like, disabled or something? He'd look _real_ tough if that were the case, ugh. Yet another realization in the jumble came toward the end: _her_ team. Was she the leader then? How tough could those guys be if they followed such a tiny chick?

_Seriously. Fuck all this._

Every thought then was banished from his mind save one: how sweet it would be to turn this cocky flame-brain into scrap. He didn't have time for his brain to have its little bitch-fit; he had a _fight_ to worry about, and that was way more important. He punched his way out of the debris atop him and rose to his feet.

Salamander was a truly impressive wizard, trading blows with Gajeel even after the Iron Dragon stepped up his game. Even the banter, a guilty pleasure of his, was engaging and evenly matched. For a time, Gajeel almost forgot that the little pests were supposed to be accepting their place under his heels; this was the most fun he'd had in ages, and he couldn't help but laugh gleefully- or perhaps gi-hi-fully- throughout the encounter.

The Phantom was knocked upward, but metal spikes extending from his heels quickly anchored him to a rafter. To his surprise, the Fairy followed, knocking him through a few of the wooden beams before joining him among them.

"How'd'ya like that, punk!" snarled Salamander.

Again Gajeel caught himself with spiked heels, hanging like a bat. "Don't get cocky. It won't happen again." There was no malice, no anger, no resentment. It was simply stating a fact. He may have been an arrogant bastard, but he knew he wasn't perfect. If he never had _any_ slip-ups, his life would get boring _real_ fast. Getting caught by that attack was just a learning experience; now he'd learned, and would be that much better for it.

Not that he would get a chance to show it, for just then the building began to shake violently, and everything seemed to stop to take notice. Apparently, Makarov was on a rampage. _Well, Aria should have no trouble finding him now._

Seemed neither guild handled distractions well. He considered sucker-punching flame-brain in this time, but that would've been no fun. He wanted an engaging opponent, not an unsuspecting target.

Just as the fighting finally started to pick but up, however, it was paused once again, as far above them Aria broke through a wall and tossed down a powerless Makarov, the saint's power drained. Morale crashed for the fairies while it rocketed for Phantom, and Gajeel could tell this wouldn't last much longer. "Guess the fun's over. And just when things were startin' ta get good."

Sure enough, it wasn't long before a retreat was called- by Titania no less. Given her repuation, Gajeel wouldn't have quite called that one. The general flow of events, though? "There they go," he sighed to himself, mind already running through ways he might be able to fight Salamander again properly. "I knew it wouldn't be long before those gutless cowards gave up and started running for their lives."

"They're retreating with sorrow in their hearts," rang a deep voice above him.

"Aria," Gajeel greeted, swinging himself up and around to land atop the rafter he'd been hanging from. "I see you're just as creepy as ever." He never had gotten used to the large mage's ability to sneak up on people, but all the same, it was a playful jest. "I gotta commend you on taking down that Fairy Tail geezer."

"I just followed Master Jose's orders." Gajeel shrugged slightly. Following orders and actually living up to the task at hand were still two separate things. Seemed Aria understood the intent after all, though, as tears soon began pouring. "But.. _thank.. you..!_"

"Why are you always cryin'?" Gajeel snapped. "Geez, cut it out." It was a miracle Aria hadn't been the one Juvia had gotten so close to, seeing as they both had water falling constantly.

...Heh. Speaking of Juvia, it seemed he was feeling a bit better after that fight. He supposed her doing what she did hadn't been so bad. His expression shifted to a slight smile. "..So. What happened with that Lucy girl?" If anyone would have that information, it would be Aria.

"She's been captured," Aria answered. Gajeel was pleasantly surprised. "The poor wretch is being held in a _gloomy_ cell at headquarters." Funny he should emphasize that word; the iron dragon was sure there must be some significance to it, but imagined he'd find out soon enough.

He all but laughed his response, though whether that was from amusement or nerves even he didn't know. "So much for givin' her a warm welcome, huh."

"Master requests our presence at the headquarters right away," Aria informed him.

Meanwhile, a voice filled the hall. "GAAAJEEEEL!" Oh, flame-brain was still here? What a shame. He would have loved to continue, but there were more important matters at hand.

Grinning down, he promised, "We'll finish this someday, Salamander." And he truly couldn't wait.

With that and a wave of Aria's hand, the two men faded into thin air, riding the wind to Phantom Lord's HQ. Only the strongest of the guild's wizards were allowed here without special reason, and few stayed on a regular basis. It was not a place merely to hang around; they had a number of guild halls for that. No, anyone here was here on business, studying the archives or maintaining any part of the small citadel and its.. _special_ properties.

As they rematerialized, Aria stood firm, but Gajeel stumbled, clutching his stomach for a moment. Ugh. He'd never been much of one for air travel, but he couldn't deny it had some serious perks. Once he recovered, he saw Jose and Totomaru already here, along with Sol and the rain woman. An unconscious Lucy lay at their feet; so this was the girl who'd caused such a fuss.

The master quickly filled him in. Evidentally, Jose had left a projection behind at the guild hall and left not long after explaining their plan that morning; Gajeel found this to be something of a coward's strategy, but he wouldn't say as much aloud. Then once the others had arrived with the package, Jose sent word to Aria by way of projection. Once the latter saw Makarov for certain heading for Jose on his own, he'd gone ahead and brought Totomaru over before confronting the Fairy patriarch.

_So why am I the last one ta know_, Gajeel mentally complained. _Whatever._

"At any rate, I just wanted to thank you all for your excellent work," Jose was saying. "I'd like you all to remain on call just in case, but I think our work here is about over." They would be returning the girl to her father the following day, after contacting him and making proper arrangements. Meanwhile, Fairy Tail should be licking its wounds for quite a while, and Jose doubted they'd be in Phantom's hair again any time soon. "Please, head downstairs, make yourselves comfortable and take a well-deserved rest."

Dismissed, the Four dispersed. Gajeel carried the girl to a cell for their Master, then left as well. As much as he hated to admit it, he supposed... he should probably talk to Juvia now.

-

A/N: Apologies that these episodes are taking up so much time. I rather enjoy examining scenes and imagining more going on for the less developed/explored characters in them. Like, really, the level of dreariness displayed by Juvia in her opening scene sharply contrasts with everything else we know about her; even in her flashbacks, pre-Phantom let alone pre-Fairy, she's emotional and neurotic. So I feel like dealing with exhaustion and heartbreak (though I certainly don't think those would be the only possible explanations, of course) justifies this contrast, and exploring that possibility adds a new depth to the scene.

Buuuuut do you guys care about that sort of stuff? :'3 Do you mind re-imaginings and reminders of the things you've already seen before, or would you prefer I stick to mostly the fully original stuff in between canon scenes? Should I keep some but try to skim a bit more as opposed to details, or what would you prefer? Please do let me know- as well as any other thoughts you might have~


	12. Heart to Heartless

Gajeel Redfox followed his nose through the castle's corridors. He sought the scent of rain, and was surprised when it grew stronger than he'd expected. "...She didn't." He sighed.

Sure enough, however, as he turned to head down the final staircase, he began hearing the pitter patter of drops on stone; and as he turned into the final corridor at the bottom of those stairs, he could see the rain falling.

Indoors.

In all the years- or, well, over-a-year- that he'd known her, he'd only ever seen her bring the rain in with her a handful of times, if that. And in every one of those it meant one of two things: either she was making exceptional effort to keep the skies clear for everyone else for a specific purpose (and Gajeel could see no reason why raining over Headquarters would be an issue), or she was very, _very_ down in the dumps.

"Drip, drop," the rain woman was sighing to herself, voice lilting almost like broken fragments of a song. "Drop... Drip, drop."

Gajeel rolled his eyes heavily and silenced a groan, though he still went through the motion. He slowly moved to rub his temples afterward, dragging his hand down his face, but then he discarded the irritation and strided into the room to find her sitting on a wall with eyes closed, seemingly only semi-conscious.

"Sup babe," he growled with a smirk.

She didn't even look at him, though she did at least partially open her eyes. "Please, don't."

His grin faltered for only a moment. "Hey now, don't be like that."

Nothing.

"Look, I've been thinkin'.."

Why did Juvia suspect she didn't want to hear this.

"You guys did a pretty good job what with capturin' that girl. So I reckon I ain't too mad about it no more."

... _He. _Wasn't mad at _her._ Oh what absolute joy.

Gajeel awaited a response, but still he got none. His smile took more effort to keep up, but he did so, and took a seat next to her. "Hey, whatsa matter, Blue?"

Still not a hint of movement, though the rain did pick up a bit. At last she answered simply, "Drip, drip, drop."

The dragon did frown now. "Aw c'mon. Yer not still upset about _that_, are ya, doll?"

At that last word, her eyes finally snapped to him, turning cold. "Juvia is not a doll," came the icy words. "And she will not be toyed with any longer."

..._Toyed with?_ Gajeel wasn't sure whether to be appalled or angry, and as such remained somewhere in limbo. "What're..."

"Juvia understands," she said, calmer. "Gajeel need not pretend to care for Juvia any longer."

He still didn't know what this feeling was, but whatever it was, it intensified. "What? Hey, no, B- _Juvia_." It felt weird to call someone by name. Weirder still was the slight waver in his voice. What could that be coming from? "It's not like that, okay?"

She sighed. How desperate must he be to continue this charade? ...Or how gullible must he think her? Juvia shook her head. "Gajeel made it very clear what it was like."

He scowled. "You don't seriously-" He faltered, realizing that yes, she would. There would be no explaining to her that angry words were insincere when the sentiment behind them was one she'd heard all her life. A brief series of fumbled words half-started and stopped, along with an "I just-" and "You-" sprinkled somewhere throughout them. "What about-.."

Although she knew she shouldn't, Juvia found herself taking pity on him. "Juvia.. is still a Phantom Lord wizard," she said. "She will still gladly work together, if Gajeel ever wants to do so." He still wasn't sure what to say. "Just..." She paused and sighed, then forced a weak smile at her comrade. "Please be honest with Juvia from now on and tell her if the rain is bothering you, all right?"

It_ wasn't. _It _hadn't ever-_ Or- He guessed it did bother him a little at first, but that was before he got to know her. It was different. The rain no longer dampened his mood; it brightened it. The sound, the smell. It was.. comforting. He wanted to say as much, but the words wouldn't seem to form.

"Juvia.." she began, more hesitantly, "would like to think.. it wasn't _all_ a lie... What we... had?"

Gajeel found himself sneering. _Wasn't one damn word of it a lie,_ he mentally snapped. Then he recalled that wasn't entirely true, which made him curse himself as well.

"She..." What was she doing? Opening herself up to him again, and so soon? "Would like it if..." She supposed no one else had ever put forth quite the effort he had. That had to count for something, didn't it? "We could be friends? Just... if Gajeel can tolerate Juvia that much.."

_Tolerate?_ That was it. His final nerve snapped. "Tch!" He stood, fuming. "Wha'd'you know about friends anyway." Friends didn't think this way of friends. Friends didn't let a single mistake _ruin everything, no questions asked._

"Ah- Ju-...?" Words caught in her throat. She knew he was right, and that she shouldn't have expected any different, but she supposed... she'd just hoped...

"You bring this on yerself, ya know."

Her gaze shifted to the floor. The rain hid her tears. "...Juvia knows," she sighed. "If she could just control her curse-"

"Curse ain't got nothin' to do with it," he barked over his shoulder. "It's _you._"

Distraught eyes flashed back to him, mouth agape. "Wha-what do you..?"

"Yer so damn caught up in yer little pity party that you won't _let_ anyone care about ya. That ain't no way ta live." He had all of the room to talk. Literally all of it.

Juvia found herself leaping to her feet, a hand clutched to her heart. "That isn't true!"

He turned to face her, leering down and towering above. As intimately as she knew the dragon, Juvia still found herself cowering slightly. "It is and you know it." Red eyes judged her very soul. "You go on an' on about findin' some perfect fairy tale romance." The irony was lost to them. "But you wouldn't know love if it was standin' right in front of ya."

_How could he say that? _"How could..." _**How**__ could he __**say**__ that!? _"You..." Even with the rain, there was no missing the tears pouring now.

The look he gave her in turn was something between pained and disgusted; this was not what he'd wanted. Admittedly, though, he probably could have done a better job thinking this through. "Geez, ya don' hafta cry about it. If ya want people ta stop thinkin' yer so gloomy, why not _smile_ more?"

Her eyes narrowed; her pulse quickened; breathing became more difficult. If he had... _any. idea._ "Gajeel-" She choked, then shoved his chest, managing to push herself as much as him: "Gajeel is _heartless_!" Juvia crossed her arms and held herself tightly as she stormed off.

The iron dragon had stumbled back about a step, but more from the words than the force. He stood there now wavering between rage and panic. He wanted to call out and stop her. Hell, he wanted to physically force her to come back here. He also wanted to lash out- to watch her aquatic body explode and splash all over the walls, to tell her he didn't fucking need her anyway.

As it was, he never got a chance to decide, for Jose's voice suddenly filled headquarters. Juvia stopped to listen as well.

"EVERYONE, PREPARE FOR BATTLE STATIONS." His voice seemed... off. Strained, somehow. There was a pause, presumably from someone in another room responding, for Jose then answered back. "The brat escaped is what happened!"

"What, how!?" Gajeel barked.

"All you need to know is that the Fairy Dragon is making off with her as we speak."

Gajeel's mood instantly shifted. "I missed Salamander!?"

"Should we pursue?" asked Juvia.

"NO. We're DONE playing nice! It's time to teach those fairy pests that WE make this game, and they're playing by OUR RULES. We'll show them a WORLD OF PAIN LIKE THEY'VE NEVER KNOWN."

Juvia seemed uneasy, but she would not defy the master. Gajeel broke into a wicked grin. "That's more like it." He could use the distraction anyway.

Someone else seemed to say something. "Don't even _bother_. Just bring the land WITH us~!" The words were practically sung in maniacal delight, and a small cackle followed that sent a chill up Juvia's spine. "It's time we show the TRUE might of PHANTOM LORD!"

The building began to rumble.

-

A/N: This chapter was originally going to be longer, but I got busy and figured I should get something up. Next time: Gruvia is born.


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